Former England defender Jamie Carragher has issued an apology to Aston Villa, its owners and supporters, acknowledging that his recent remarks linking manager Unai Emery to a move to Manchester United were “clumsy and wrong”.
On Friday, Aston Villa announced plans to pursue legal action against the former defender, calling his comments “unacceptable insults”.
In a statement signed by chairman Nassef Sawiris, the club referenced remarks Carragher made on the Stick to Football podcast, where he implied that Emery would aspire to manage a “giant” club.
He also told Villa supporters to “shut up”, adding, “Aston Villa will never be Manchester United.”
In a Saturday social‑media post, Carragher clarified that his remarks were meant “tongue in cheek”.
“I would like to apologise to Aston Villa, its owners and fans. My language this week was clumsy and wrong. I can assure Villa fans it was tongue in cheek, though I understand it was not taken that way, and I sincerely apologise,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Manchester United’s manager Michael Carrick’s job security remains in doubt after a poor start to the campaign.
On the Stick to Football podcast, Carragher referred to Emery and said, “Surely he would want that opportunity to manage a giant again. There is a hierarchy in football, whether you like it or not. Real Madrid will take Manchester United’s best player, just as they did with Cristiano Ronaldo. Teams below Aston Villa will take their players or manager. So I told Aston Villa fans to stop complaining—‘shut the [expletive] up.’ Aston Villa will never be Manchester United.”
Following backlash from Villa fans, Carragher responded on social media, insisting his “shut up” remark was a joke and that he has been a long‑time admirer of both Emery and the club.
He later appeared on the Overlap Daily podcast, reiterating that his comment to Villa supporters was intended “in jest”. He added, “I genuinely believe Unai Emery is the best manager in the league, and any club like Manchester United would be thinking about what the best they could recruit is.”
