Manchester United could be searching for a new manager in the coming days, with Michael Carrick handed a stay of execution despite the club's worst start to a season in four decades. The Red Devils have managed just two wins in their opening 12 games, and a poor result against Chelsea in London on Saturday lunchtime could prove terminal.
United's Shortlist Takes Shape
The Old Trafford hierarchy have drawn up a list of potential successors, with several names out of work, including former Newcastle boss Eddie Howe and ex-Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann. One man still in a job at a rival club is Unai Emery, who continues to thrive at Aston Villa. Emery has been thrust into the spotlight following comments from Jamie Carragher, who told Villa fans they will never be of the calibre of United.
The two teams are in very different positions. Villa are reigning Europa League champions and playing at Europe's top table, while United's season is unravelling. But would a call from the red side of Manchester really turn Emery's head?
The Case for Joining United
United remain one of the powerhouses of world football and, alongside Liverpool, one of the two biggest clubs in England. Despite their problems, the man who makes United a force again will go down in history. Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal both failed, but being the one to find the answers is a huge carrot.
For all Emery's success at Villa, and previously at Sevilla and Villarreal, there are those who remind him that his stints at PSG and Arsenal were underwhelming. If he can excel at one of the giants of the game, he would leave his doubters with nothing to say. Sooner or later, Emery will have to ask himself what more he can achieve at Villa, having won a European trophy and made the Champions League knockouts, with the club having a financial limit.
The Case for Remaining at Villa
Emery is very much an old-school manager who has total control at Villa. The club recognise what they have, and if he needs more influence to feel like he wants to stay, then so be it. There's no doubt he would struggle to find that set-up anywhere else, and United would certainly not afford him the right to run his own ship.
It is like there's something in the air, but anyone or anything with talent seems to die when it heads to the red side of Manchester, and those in the boardroom do not help. Ever since David Gill left his senior role, United have employed people who have struggled with their decision-making, which has not made the manager's job any easier.
