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Man Utd legend Paul Scholes thinks Aston Villa boss Unai Emery would be the best manager to appoint if Michael Carrick is sacked by his former club.

Carrick has been given a stay of execution, but if his side loses to Chelsea this weekend, his position in the Old Trafford dugout will come under even closer scrutiny. Scholes says Emery is an obvious contender to replace him due to his outstanding credentials:

“He’s won the Europa League with Aston Villa, do you know what an achievement that is? He gets a new team every single year because they have to sell their best players. And he keeps producing, keeps producing.”

“Is everyone put off by his Arsenal and PSG days? Probably, because it’s a big club. But it might be staring us in the face. He’d have to take United over Villa; I think he would.”

United won’t pay the compensation required to get Emery

While it is believed that the Spaniard has plenty of admirers in United’s hierarchy, the prospect of an approach being made is deemed pretty low.

Emery’s current deal at Villa Park expires in the summer of 2029, and it could cost as much as £20m in compensation to release him from his contract.

Who is the current favourite to become the next Man Utd manager?

Former Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is an odds-on at the bookmakers to become the next permanent head coach. Former Bayern Munich and Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann is second among the other runners and riders, with Antonio Conte in third.

Reports suggest that Howe, Nagelsmann and Conte are the three candidates that have been contacted indirectly through their agents as the club look to determine who would be interested if they do decide to dispense with Carrick’s services.

Emery is deemed an outsider between 7/1 and 9/1, mainly due to the compensation cost being a major obstacle.