Carragher backs Emery to replace Carrick as Manchester United's next manager

Jamie Carragher has urged Manchester United to appoint Aston Villa manager Unai Emery if Michael Carrick is sacked, describing the Spaniard as the best manager in the Premier League and the ideal fit for Old Trafford.

Carrick has overseen only two victories this season, with back-to-back three-goal defeats to Como and Bournemouth piling pressure on the former Middlesbrough boss. United have also been eliminated from the Carabao Cup, leaving the club’s hierarchy weighing their options ahead of a Premier League clash with Chelsea on Saturday.

Emery is among several names linked with the vacancy. Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler is the other in-work candidate attracting attention, while Julian Nagelsmann, Eddie Howe and Antonio Conte represent the pool of available managers.

Carragher, however, is unequivocal in his preference. “[Emery] is a manager I look at when I think about Manchester United,” he said. “I think he is the best manager in the Premier League. But I’ve got this thing with him. Yes, his record in the Europa League is amazing, but surely somebody who is that successful wants to be known in the Champions League.”

The pundit argued that Emery’s previous spells at Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal — both of which ended without the ultimate prize — would make the prospect of managing a club of United’s stature hard to resist. “He’s not going to win the Champions League at Aston Villa,” Carragher added. “I just think surely he would want that opportunity to prove himself at an absolute giant of a football club. Sorry, Villa fans.”

Emery claimed a fifth Europa League title with Villa last season before losing five key players — Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Ezri Konsa and Emiliano Martinez — in a single transfer window. Despite a difficult start to the new campaign, Villa have since gone unbeaten in eight matches, winning seven, including a result that ended Manchester City’s perfect Premier League record. Nicolas Jackson, signed as a replacement for Watkins, scored twice in that game.

United’s hierarchy are said to be impressed by how Emery rebuilt the squad so quickly, though any approach would come at a significant cost. Reports indicate he is currently earning between £10 million and £12 million per year at Villa Park.

For now, a move appears unlikely, and there has been no official word from United on Carrick’s future.