Manchester United have Unai Emery on their list of five possible successors to Michael Carrick. But Emery could prove to be a problem – and the reason lies in the club’s own power structures.
Has fought his way to a position of authority at Villa Park
Manchester United reportedly have Aston Villa manager Unai Emery as one of five main candidates on their list of potential replacements for Michael Carrick. However, there is a big “but” in the picture: the set-up at Old Trafford is likely to suit the Spaniard very badly.
Bruno Fernandes can finally tell what really happened between him and Carrick
The Daily Mail reports this. According to the report, Emery likes to have a lot of power as a manager – more so than the sporting directors he works with. The Spanish tactician is unlikely to have the same influence at United, where there is already a clear structure that gives significant power to the firm owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and people under him such as Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox.
That simply doesn’t suit Emery’s profile. And thus, United’s chances of luring him to the club could be significantly weakened – should they end up sacking Carrick.
Who else is on the list?
According to The Mail, Emery is only one of five names on United’s list – and it’s not hard to guess who the others might be.
Fabrizio Romano recently spoke on YouTube about Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte being leading candidates for MUFC. In addition, Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler was recently linked with the club by talkSPORT, although these ties have since cooled.
It’s easy to see why Emery appears to be a tempting option, and Hurzeler is also impressing in his current job. At the same time, names like Howe, Nagelsmann and Conte could be more realistic – simply because all three are currently unemployed.
Has Carrick bought time?
It’s worth noting that United have persevered with Carrick through a really difficult period – and last night the reward for their efforts finally came. The team ended their winless streak in the Champions League.
Despite trailing 2-0 at home to Roma, Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha scored to help United back to a 3-2 win – which eased the pressure on the manager considerably.
United fans are now hoping that this means that the team has turned a corner. Carrick himself hopes the win gives him more time to show what he can do with this team.
The evening was not as good for Aston Villa, who had to see themselves beaten by a solid Barcelona team.
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