Man United eye Unai Emery to replace Michael Carrick

Manchester United reportedly view Aston Villa manager Unai Emery as a dream target to replace the struggling Michael Carrick.

The Spanish tactician has done a superb job during his time at Villa Park, and has also impressed at other clubs throughout his career.

Emery is notably the holder of one hugely impressive record, having won the Europa League five times in his career – more than any other manager ever.

A three-time winner with Sevilla, Emery also won it with Villarreal, and then with Aston Villa last season, while he was also a runner-up in the final during his time in charge at Arsenal.

According to iNews, he’s now viewed as a strong candidate for the Man Utd job, and it’s certainly easy to see why with his credentials and experience.

Is Unai Emery the right fit for a club like Manchester United?

The tricky thing with Emery is that his success has come at clubs with an obvious ceiling – the fact that he’s conquered the Europa League so convincingly whilst never quite hacking it at a club with bigger expectations is telling.

The 54-year-old’s only league title win came as Paris Saint-Germain manager, when dominating Ligue 1 is pretty much a given.

Even if United are not the force they used to be, he would be expected to get them back to challenging for major honours again – finishing in the top four and winning competitions like the Europa League wouldn’t be enough.

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Emery notably struggled in similar circumstances at Arsenal when they were trying to rebuild after the departure of Arsene Wenger, and it never quite looked the right fit.

Villa seems just right for him and while he deserves respect for the job he’s done there, it doesn’t necessarily qualify for him for the huge challenge that would be waiting for him at Old Trafford.

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