Man Utd urged to appoint 'best manager in the league' as Carrick dismissal looms

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Martin Macdonald | Writer

It is looking increasingly likely that Manchester United will part ways with Michael Carrick this week.

The former United midfielder was initially appointed on a caretaker basis last season following the disastrous tenure of Ruben Amorim and managed to take the club to a Champions League qualification spot at the end of the campaign.

Carrick and United benefited at that time from having no midweek matches as they were not in Europe and had also been eliminated from the cup competitions at an early stage.

The Champions League qualification secured Carrick the job on a permanent basis and the club went into the new season with renewed hope that they could make a positive impact on the Premier League in 2026/27.

However, they have endured a horrendous start, with just one win out of their first eight matches and that came against newly promoted Ipswich.

Things reached their lowest point on Sunday when Man Utd were comprehensively and emphatically defeated 3-0 by Bournemouth at Old Trafford. As Carrick trudged off the pitch, he was applauded by fans, while the supporters were booed.

Should United decide to sack Carrick they will once again be looking for a new manager, having failed to find any kind of consistency in the dugout since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

In the eyes of pundit Jamie Carragher, there is one man for the job - Unai Emery.

"He is a manager I look at when I think about Manchester United," Carragher told Sky Sports.

"People say behind the scenes at Aston Villa, he runs the whole club. Sir Alex Ferguson did that at Manchester United. It’s not just the United way, it’s the way in football generally.

"I think Emery 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?

"He wants to win the Champions League. He’s not going to do that at Aston Villa,. He’s had two experiences that haven’t gone particularly well for him, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal. And I just think surely he would want that opportunity to prove himself at an absolute giant of a football club. Sorry, Villa fans."

Emery is widely regarded as probably the greatest manager in Europa League history, having won the competition five times. He first achieved success with Sevilla, winning three consecutive titles in 2014, 2015 and 2016, before guiding Villarreal to victory in 2021. He added a fifth title with Aston Villa in 2026, beating Freiburg 3-0 in the final.

His reputation at the highest level was damaged on a couple of occasions after failing to make the grade at Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain but he has transformed Villa into a Champions League side which is remarkable for a club who were in the English Championship as recently as the 2018/19 season.