Rafa Benitez's future with Real Madrid is all but decided.

The team has been unimpressive from the first kickoff of 2015-16 and it seems that the manager has simply been unable to keep his top players and locker room influencers on his side. Cristiano Ronaldo is said to be unhappy. Ditto for Captain Sergio Ramos. James Rodriguez, the star of 2014-15, is apparently looking to leave Madrid in favor of Chelsea.

Throw in embarrassing defeats, the Copa del Rey fiasco and poor attacking soccer and you have the perfect recipe for kicking out Benitez.

So who will replace Benitez when the inevitable death knell sounds? There are a few options being throw around. This article will explore some of those options and look at the pros and cons to bringing on those coaches to guide the team through the rest of this year and potentially past it.

Jose Mourinho

This is the one that keeps getting tossed about for a number of reasons. He is available. He is a big name that Florentino Perez always seems to covet. And he also coached this team before.

Mourinho is known for getting results and helped Madrid find itself out of mediocrity a few years before. One might argue that under his guidance the club developed the most fearsome counter attack in the world. With Gareth Bale at his disposal as well as Rodriguez, there is no limit to how effective a Mourinho counter could work out for Madrid.

That said, he left on bad terms. He had fights with Ronaldo, Ramos, Pepe and a few other veterans in the locker room. He is known for losing players due to his difficult personality and it would not be surprising if he is greeted with resistance if he were to return.

Probability of him coming? Minimal, unless Perez cares little for his players.

Zinedine Zidane

The other major candidate is the former Madrid superstar. Zidane is currently in charge of Madrid's Castilla side which is currently second in the Segunda division.

He is a popular choice because he was the assistant under the popular Carlo Ancelotti and many know that he is being groomed for this very purpose.

Of course the big "BUT" with Zidane is his overall lack of experience leading big clubs. Guiding youngsters at Castilla is one thing; trying to get Cristiano Ronaldo to follow your orders is another. Would Zidane be the kind of guy that gets walked over or is his legacy as one of the best ever enough to earn him the respect of the players? Is he tactically aware or does he still have a lot of learning to do in that area?

There are simply too many questions to consider Zidane the option at this very moment. That said, the team might see the season as lost (it isn't) and give Zidane a chance to see what he has and whether he is a viable option in the future.

Louis van Gaal

This is likely the biggest longshot considering that he is still coaching Manchester United. That said, if van Gaal is let go by the Red Devils in favor of Mourinho, then he might be a viable option for Madrid.

He is a tough coach who is known for forcing players to earn their spots, thus often causing friction with top stars when they enter inevitable slumps. He might struggle with the gargantuan personalities at Madrid.