Unai Emery is being considered by Manchester United as the club assesses potential replacements for head coach Michael Carrick, according to Daily Mail Sport.

The Aston Villa manager is one of five candidates being considered by the “red devils”. However, United’s hopes of appointing the Spanish coach could be affected by his preferences over how a club is run.

Emery is understood to want to choose the sporting director himself and is accustomed to dealing directly with club owners rather than communicating through intermediaries. That stance may prove an obstacle to any move to Manchester United.

After nine rounds of the English championship, Manchester United are 17th in the table with seven points.