Unai Emery looks set to remain at Aston Villa and sign a new contract, prompting Jamie Carragher to say he is relieved the Spaniard will not be taking the Manchester United job.
Emery had been linked with the role at Old Trafford, while Carragher previously attracted criticism after suggesting the Villa manager would inevitably leave for a bigger club. Aston Villa reacted angrily and threatened legal action before the former Liverpool player apologised.
Writing in his latest column for the Telegraph, Carragher maintained that Manchester United remain a bigger club than Villa, despite arguing that Emery’s current position may be the more attractive one at present.
Jamie Carragher on Unai Emery
“My argument has never been that Emery should leave to join a bigger club. Why would I want Emery to join Manchester United? It would make them stronger,” Carragher wrote.
He welcomed the prospect of Emery committing his future to Aston Villa, saying it would underline how settled the manager is at the club and would be positive for Villa and the Premier League.
“But it is a valid question whether being consistently praised as a coach who thrives at teams who are not expected to challenge for league titles and the Champions League has become a patronising, backhanded compliment,” Carragher added.
He argued that Emery, whom he described as a world-class manager, could not be content with a reputation for performing best outside European football’s elite. Carragher linked that perception to Emery’s difficult period at Arsenal and his spell at Paris St-Germain, where he won domestic honours but fell short in Europe.
“United clearly are not at the level of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG right now. But when any manager goes to Old Trafford, over the course of their contract they will be expected to build a team that will go head to head with those European giants. Anything less is failure,” Carragher said.
“Villa are not judged to that standard.”
Carragher’s latest comments make clear that, despite his earlier remarks and the dispute with Aston Villa, he would prefer Emery to stay at Villa Park rather than strengthen Manchester United.
