Man Utd manager target Unai Emery
Would Unai Emery leave Aston Villa for Man Utd?
The Athletic’s David Ornstein has revealed that Unai Emery is “happy” at Aston Villa amid reports of interest from Man Utd.
Man Utd have lost their last three matches in all competitions and took their winless run to nine after Chelsea beat Michael Carrick’s side 2-0 on Saturday.
It had looked good in the first half for Man Utd but second-half goals from Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer sealed the three points for the ten-man Red Devils, who had Lisandro Martinez sent off for two bookings.
Carrick remains under pressure at Old Trafford but there are rumours that he will get until the November international break to try and improve the club’s fortunes before his future is reassessed.
Antonio Conte, Julian Nagelsmann and Eddie Howe are a few of the names linked with Carrick’s job, while Aston Villa boss Emery is also understood to be admired by the Man Utd hierarchy.
Ornstein said on NBC Sports: “The likes of Conte, Nagelsmann, Howe, you would imagine could be appointed at pretty short notice.
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“So, I don’t think you would need great negotiations in that sense.
“But with Unai Emery, who definitely has admirers at Manchester United, why wouldn’t you like him?
“He’s under contract at Aston Villa.
“There’s no release clause, as I understand it, and Villa have no intention of letting him go.
“They think he’s happy there and will continue.”
On Carrick’s future, Ornstein added: “The club also looked at the reaction of the players back at Carrington on the training ground and felt there was a realisation after they were booed off the pitch against Bournemouth.
“They were determined to put this right, that they couldn’t sack another manager immediately and that it was them who had to sort this out.
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“They couldn’t hide behind him. And so they genuinely decided to move forward with Carrick and give him a chance. They’ve not been speaking to other coaches directly behind his back and they still believe that he can bring about this upturn in the next week, however tough it’s looking at this point.”
Man Utd want to trust Carrick – Romano
Fabrizio Romano also brought his update on Carrick’s future in a YouTube video on Sunday, he said: “Michael Carrick is expected to be in charge against Roma.
“Manchester United’s intention is to trust Michael Carrick for these games. Obviously, let’s see how things go against Roma, but the general intention is to trust Carrick for the upcoming matches.
“Then the international break is coming. So, obviously, there will be a longer period of time during which they can assess the situation and make a final decision regarding the managerial position.
“At the moment, the feeling at Man Utd is that Michael Carrick has very good chances of surviving this crisis and remaining in charge for the upcoming games.
“Then, the period around the international break is going to be important. They will assess all the options and possibilities, involving the owners, the directors and everyone at the club, before making a decision about the future of Man Utd.
“Obviously, the Champions League game against Roma is important for Manchester United. It is already an important game because they are not in an easy situation in the European competition either.
“Then it is important to mention that Roma are in fantastic form. They are basically winning almost every game in Serie A. They are unbeaten and doing fantastically well.
“So, this is going to be a tough game for Man Utd. Roma have also done very well in the Champions League so far. They then lost against Real Madrid, but look at the way they lost that game.
“They were still absolutely in the game and performing very well until the final 10 or 15 minutes. So, it is not going to be an easy match. It is going to be another test.
“But, in general, with the international break approaching, that is going to be the moment when Manchester United can properly assess the situation, unless something crazy happens again and they continue failing to win games over the coming weeks.”
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