Jamie Carragher has urged Manchester United to overlook Michael Carrick and give Unai Emery the Old Trafford job.
United’s resurgence under Carrick has made the caretaker manager the standout candidate for the permanent job.
Carrick’s return to his former club was only expected to be temporary but he has turned a struggling Manchester United side into one of the most in-form teams in the Premier League.
The Red Devils were fifth at the time of Ruben Amorim’s sacking in January but United are third ahead of Sunday’s crucial game against top-four rivals Aston Villa.
Carrick began his reign with back-to-back wins over local rivals Manchester City and title favourites Arsenal and has only lost one game since taking charge.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe heaped praise on Carrick in a recent interview and the ex-England midfielder is now believed to be the frontrunner for the permanent Manchester United job.
Carragher has been impressed by Carrick’s impact at Old Trafford but nevertheless views Emery as the ‘perfect’ candidate to take over at United.
Your football fix
Metro's Head of Sport James Goldman delivers punchy analysis, transfer talk and his take on the week's biggest stories direct to your inbox every week.
Sign up here, it's an open goal.
Emery, 54, won trophies in Spain and France before a disappointing spell in charge of Arsenal following Arsene Wenger’s retirement.
The Spaniard has recovered his reputation at Aston Villa, however, taking a team that was batting relegation into the Champions League last year and briefly threatening to mount a title challenge this season.
‘Unai Emery should be heading to Old Trafford this weekend as the frontrunner to become the next Manchester United manager,’ Carragher told 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 Emery not to be under serious consideration says plenty about modern football. By any metric, he would be the perfect coach to revive United. For me, only Pep Guardiola ranks higher of those currently managing in England.
‘Here is a manager who wins trophies, has a clear football vision, a track record of revitalising clubs in need of a mini-revolution to break into the Champions League, and who demands respect while leading with authority.
‘Add the fact he is now proven in the Premier League, and such coaches are in short supply. Emery is not part of the conversation but he should be. The puzzling question is why?
‘Sadly for Emery, and happily for Villa, the Spaniard is painted as an overachiever at clubs trying to challenge the elite, and an underachiever at those who consider themselves already part of it.’
Discussing Carrick’s impact since his appointment as caretaker manager, United co-owner Ratcliffe said the former England midfielder was doing an ‘excellent job’ but refused to discuss the chances of him getting the job on a permanent basis.
Speaking publicly for the first time about Carrick since his appointment, Ratcliffe told Sky Sports: ‘He is doing an excellent job, yes, absolutely.’
But Ratcliffe refused to be drawn on appointing Carrick in a long-term role, saying: ‘No, not going there.’
Manchester United will be looking for revenge against Aston Villa after losing 2-1 to Emery’s side in the reverse fixture.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
No comments:
Post a Comment