Aston Villa boss Unai Emery showed right in front of the Ineos hierarchy why he could not replace Michael Carrick as the next Manchester United manager.

The 55-year-old Aston Villa manager arrived at Old Trafford on Sunday for his side’s Premier League clash against Manchester United ahead of the November break.

Unai Emery’s reaction before the end of the Man Utd vs Aston Villa match shows he couldn’t cope with Old Trafford pressure

Unai Emery was well and truly rattled by Manchester United’s remarkable comeback against Aston Villa. Even before the full-time whistle at Old Trafford, the Villa boss was fuming and spotted walking down the touchline before disappearing down the tunnel.

If the former Paris Saint-Germain and Sevilla manager reacted that way to Patrick Dorgu’s equaliser, imagine how he would act as Michael Carrick’s long-term successor. Carrick, who has been under huge pressure in recent months, has not acted in a way that has brought his tenure as United manager into disrepute.

Sure, Emery’s frustrations are valid after Villa were leading Man Utd on two separate occasions, only to squander their advantage on both occasions. But a manager abandoning their team — no matter the scoreline — ahead of the full-time whistle is unforgivable.

Even when Kepa Arrizabalaga refused to come off under Maurizio Sarri in 2019, the former Chelsea boss stormed towards the tunnel before he made a U-turn on his decision. Maurizio Sarri returned to the dugout and watched Chelsea lose to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley. Kepa Arrizabalaga was blasted for his protests towards the Italian manager’s call to sub him off, while Sarri kept the integrity of his reputation as a manager intact.

While Man Utd’s woeful form has dragged on this season, United legend Carrick has faced the scrutiny of the press and shielded his team from criticism. Just in his approach alone, the 45-year-old Man Utd manager has been the exact opposite of Ruben Amorim, who would throw his players under the bus or take swipes at the Ineos hierarchy at Old Trafford.

One X user, Jack, even expressed the sentiments of why Emery’s actions in second-half injury time proved why the Spaniard would not cut it in the Old Trafford hot seat. “Emery walking down the tunnel there is exactly why he wouldn’t ever work here,” reads the tweet.

Emery only amplified his hot-headed behaviour in his Sky Sports interview after the match, as the Villa manager couldn’t help but make the situation worse. It only showed that the reactionary Emery would fall at the first hurdle when there is even more media scrutiny placed on a club of the stature of Man Utd.

“No emotion,” he said in his post-match interview, before adding: “They scored in minute 96 and there were six minutes added. I think the match was finishing.”

There is no doubt there is pedigree in Emery’s resume to be a Man Utd manager, especially from his tactical competency to his silverware success as a coach. On paper, Emery would outshine Carrick on many metrics as the more ‘complete manager.’ But emotional reactions are as important as managerial competence.

If Emery was willing to walk away from the draw before the full-time whistle, then it says a lot about his character when the emotions are high. Even in the turmoil of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson period, no Man Utd manager, whether permanent or interim, has done what Emery did on Sunday evening at Old Trafford. Emery would not have the temperament to lead Man Utd in a calm way, despite his experience and tactics being incredibly desirable.