Jamie Carragher has apologised to Aston Villa after the club threatened to take legal action against the former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports pundit.

Carragher had been accused of making “unacceptable insults” about the club after suggesting manager Unai Emery should consider taking the Manchester United job as they were below them in football’s food chain.

Carragher posted on X on Saturday: “I’d like to apologise to Aston Villa, the owners and their fans. My language this week was clumsy and wrong.

“I can assure Villa fans it was tongue in cheek but I can understand it’s not come across that way, so apologies. Good luck today UTV [Up The Villa]!”

Carragher had come under criticism from Villa supporters following his comments on the Stick to Football podcast, which was released on Thursday.

The Premier League club issued a furious statement late on Friday night, which was signed off by the Villa chairman Nassef Sawiris.

“Aston Villa will initiate legal action against Jamie Carragher for his unacceptable insults about the club and its fans,” the statement said.

“Aston Villa will not allow anyone to stop our ascension in English and European football. Nassef Sawiris, Chairman.”

Villa manager Emery, who led the club to Europa League glory last season, has earned a reputation as one of the best managers in the Premier League in recent years.

The Spaniard’s name has been mentioned as one of the possible replacements for Michael Carrick if the under-fire boss is dismissed by the Old Trafford hierarchy.

Carragher’s fellow Stick to Football hosts, which include Gary Neville, Ian Wright, Roy Keane and Jill Scott, had argued that Emery would want to stay at Villa due to their upward trajectory and questioned why he would want to leave for United.

Carragher had argued: “I’m not trying to annoy Villa fans but there is a chain in football, whether you like it or not. So Real Madrid will take Man United’s best player, they’ll take (Cristiano) Ronaldo. There’s very few above United, the same with Liverpool.

“And there will be teams below Aston Villa, and they'll take their players or manager, so shut the f--- up Aston Villa fans. Aston Villa will never be Manchester United.”