Manchester United are yet to decide on their next permanent boss while Michael Carrick takes charge on an interim basis, and Jamie Carragher has told them to go for Aston Villa's Unai Emery
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - JANUARY 03: Unai Emery, Manager of Aston Villa, looks on during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest at Villa Park on January 03, 2026 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)
Unai Emery is 'underrated', according to Jamie Carragher(Image: Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)
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Jamie Carragher believes that Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is the 'perfect' candidate to revive Manchester United. The Red Devils are continuing their search for a new permanent manager, with Michael Carrick in charge until the end of this season.
Carrick's encouraging record of six wins, one draw and one defeat stands him in good stead for the job, but other candidates are still being considered. Emery, 54, is among those to have been linked, boasting vast experience in Premier League with both Villa and Arsenal.
The Spaniard's success in European competitions - winning the Europa League four times with two different clubs - helps make him one of the continent's most respected coaches. Emery, who's under contract at Villa Park until 2029, will come up against Carrick on Sunday and ahead of the clash, Carragher has tipped the former Villarreal and Sevilla boss for the United job.
"Unai Emery should be heading to Old Trafford this weekend as the front-runner to become the next Manchester United manager," Carragher wrote in his column for the Telegraph.
"I suspect he does not rank high among the candidates. That is good news for Aston Villa, but it must be frustrating for one of the best, and still most underrated, coaches in Europe."
For Carragher, only Pep Guardiola ranks higher than Emery when it comes to managers working in the Premier League. The Liverpool legend did, however, suggest that Emery would demand too much power at Old Trafford and wouldn't gel with the Red Devils' new-look hierarchy.
"Emery is one of the few symbols of a bygone era when managers wanted and assumed complete control of a club's football operations," Carragher added. "Once he was thriving at Villa, it was an easy decision for the hierarchy to allow Emery to proceed with minimal interference.
Middlesbrough's English manager Michael Carrick (L) and Aston Villa's Spanish head coach Unai Emery react during the English FA cup third round football match between Middlesbrough and Aston Villa at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, north-east England on January 6, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Middlesbrough's English manager Michael Carrick (L) and Aston Villa's Spanish head coach Unai Emery react during the English FA cup third round football match between Middlesbrough and Aston Villa at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, north-east England on January 6, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
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"Whenever Emery's name is referenced in connection to a 'bigger' job, Villa fans argue that he would never have the same love and power at one of the traditional Champions League teams, and they have a point. Sporting directors are proving adept at making themselves the most important people in the room.
"Appointing Emery is effectively a means of enhancing the role of the manager and diminishing that of the directors. That would therefore be a likely cause of friction in the future."
Carrick has already beaten Emery as a coach, back in 2021 when he first managed United on an interim basis. But the Villa boss got his revenge in 2024, knocking Carrick's Middlesbrough side out of the FA Cup.