Manchester United expressed interest in Aston Villa's manager, Unai Emery, before appointing Ruben Amorim last season. The Portuguese tactician took over from Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford in November 2024. However, after a 14-month tenure, Amorim was shown the door by the United board last week, following a fiery post-match press conference after a 1-1 draw with Leeds United in the Premier League.
Since then, the hunt for a new manager has been on, with United opting to bring in an interim manager until the end of the season, with a view to making a permanent appointment in the summer. Darren Fletcher, the caretaker manager, has overseen the last two matches - a 2-2 stalemate with Burnley in the Premier League and a 2-1 loss to Brighton in the FA Cup third round.
United are set to announce an interim manager ahead of their Premier League face-off against Manchester City on Saturday (12.30pm kick-off). Michael Carrick, the former Middlesbrough boss, is the front-runner for the role.
While progress seems to be underway regarding the interim appointment, there remains speculation about who will take up the permanent position come summer. The Daily Mail has suggested that Emery could be a potential candidate.
Manchester United are said to have approached Villa about their manager before appointing Amorim. Given the ongoing success of the Spanish boss, it's likely that interest remains.
However, 'obstacles' are anticipated in any potential appointment. As expected, Villa will put up a strong fight to retain the manager who has guided them to Champions League qualification.
This could make any deal extremely costly to finalise. It is further noted that Emery is a manager who prefers full control at a football club.
Amorim's opposition to a lack of autonomy was one of the factors behind his departure from Old Trafford. Therefore, structural changes at United may be necessary if an appointment of Emery is to be feasible.
The ex-Arsenal boss has been at Villa since taking over from Steven Gerrard in November 2022. He has received acclaim for his work at Villa Park, with the team currently occupying third place in the Premier League table.
Other names linked with a potential permanent move to United this summer include Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner, Fulham's Marco Silva and former Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez. Reports from Spain suggest the latter may be open to a move to United.