Man Utd legend urges club to bring in Aston Villa man

Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag
Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag. Photo by Shutterstock.

Former Manchester United star Lee Sharpe has urged his former club to make a move for Unai Emery to replace Erik ten Hag.

With Ten Hag’s future uncertain, especially if United fails to clinch the FA Cup, Sharpe sees Emery as a fitting replacement given his recent success in revitalizing Aston Villa‘s fortunes in the Premier League.

Manchester United’s recent struggles include winless performances against Brentford, Bournemouth, and a disheartening loss to Chelsea, placing them seventh in the league standings.

As United approaches their FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City, the pressure mounts on Ten Hag to secure a victory.

“If I were choosing and Erik ten Hag was to go, Unai Emery would be at the top of my list,” Lee Sharpe told DAZN.

“I think given the support and the full backing, he could replicate what he’s done at Villa. I think he’d be a class manager for United.”

Sharpe also commented on reports linking Gareth Southgate with the United job.

“I don’t think Gareth Southgate is a Man United manager,” added Sharpe.

“I’m not sure he’d want it, given the position and the state that the club is in at the moment. It’s not something where you come in and somebody’s already made a success of it and you just come in and keep it rolling on.

“It’s a rebuild and it’s going to take a while to get it where the club and where the supporters want it to be.

“I think it would be a very awkward job for Gareth. To come out of England and be given all the players that he gets to choose from now and to come to United and not have such good players and that continuity, I think it would be a tricky one for him.

“I wouldn’t go with Southgate, no. I think he’s a bit too conservative and negative for Man United.”