Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has stood by his stance on Unai Emery and Manchester United after the former defender was threatened with legal action by Aston Villa
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 03: Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford on May 03, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher(Image: Getty Images)
Jamie Carragher has defended his stance on Manchester United potentially targeting Unai Emery, despite the Liverpool legend having been threatened with legal action by Aston Villa.
Carragher’s recent comments caused a stir when he suggested that United should have Emery in its sights a replacement for Michael Carrick, who continues to be under pressure despite a win over Roma in the Champions League this week.
During an appearance on the Stick to Football podcast, Carragher suggested that Emery could be interested in the chance to take over at Old Trafford, insisting that United’s size in comparison to Villa means it will always be in a position to take him.
The 48-year-old also took aim at Villa supporters after receiving backlash for some of his earlier comments on the matter, telling them to “shut the f--- up”, although that landed him in hot water.
Villa released a statement last week declaring that it would be taking legal action against Carragher, although it has since opted not to follow up on the threat after the pundit issued an apology to the club and its fans.
Writing in his latest column for The Telegraph though, Carragher has refused to back down from his original point on United’s stature compared to Villa, with the two sides set to meet on Sunday.
“Aston Villa head to Old Trafford with a better team, a better manager and better prospects of achieving their ambitions this season than Manchester United,” Carragher wrote.
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)
Unai Emery has been linked as a potential replacement for Michael Carrick(Image: OLI SCARFF, AFP via Getty Images)
“At this point in the history of both clubs, Villa Park is a better place to be than Old Trafford.
“But Aston Villa are not bigger than Manchester United. That statement is not intended to stir the hornet’s nest.
“My suggestion that the people in charge at United should consider a move for the Aston Villa manager if they consider him the best in class has not been welcomed at Villa Park, and I get why.
“But I cannot stray from my opinion that if I were an executive at one of the elite European clubs and had a managerial vacancy, Unai Emery would be near the top of my wanted list.
Content Image
Content Image
“You can argue Emery would be stupid to leave Villa for United. You can point out he is on the verge of signing a new deal. You can say that Villa are in a strong position to resist any approaches for the foreseeable future. You will get no disagreement from me on those points.
“What is beyond doubt is that by every metric defining a club’s size, United eclipse Villa: honours won, fanbase size, financial power, history, global status. In that head-to-head, it’s not even close. It did not strike me as controversial to suggest that when a club of United’s size wants Aston Villa’s managers or players, traditionally they get them.”
“I understand that some Villa supporters do not want to hear that. Plenty have made that clear.”
While explaining why he made his apology, which itself has led to some push back from those who feel he didn’t need to offer one, Carragher went on to hit back at theories from some supporters that he was showing favor to the ‘elite’ clubs in the Premier League.
Aston Villa's manager Unai Emery smiles during the football match between Aston Villa and Bayern Munich
Carragher suggested Manchester United should be looking at Unai Emery as its next manager(Image: (Photo by May JAMES / AFP via Getty Images))
“My apology to Villa last week was for the language used on The Overlap,” Carragher said. “It was intended as a tongue-in-cheek response to supporters on social media. I wanted to say: ‘Back off, and stop cherry-picking the points you disagree with and ignoring the rest.’
“There was a context to my argument, so I take exception to anyone suggesting my remarks are intended to ‘keep Villa in their place’ or impede their ability to challenge the top clubs by emphasising how much I admire their coach and believe bigger clubs will be looking at him. That is nonsense.
“The idea that being a former Liverpool player means being protective of ‘the elite’ or condescendingly looking down at others is a wilful distortion.”