UNAI EMERY first encountered Sir Alex Ferguson as a 38-year-old managing Valencia. 

Manchester United won 1-0 at the Mestalla in September 2010 and Emery could barely speak any English. Yet he was granted an audience with Ferguson, partial to a post-match glass of red, for more than an hour. 

Emery was curious as to why Wayne Rooney was not in the United squad. Ferguson, usually economical with the truth regarding team news, had publicly said Rooney was injured. He had been dropped.

Remarkably, Ferguson told Emery the truth: “He has to know who the boss is.”

Rooney had questioned Ferguson’s failure to sign Mesut Ozil and informed United he would not sign a new contract.

At Aston Villa, Emery is the manager. Not the head coach, the manager. It would make any approach from United, whenever they have the nerve to dismiss Michael Carrick, a possible non-starter amid their insistence on the title ‘head coach’.

Villa have taken measures to keep Emery, in line for a new contract. The Football Association did similarly with Thomas Tuchel five weeks after United dismissed Ruben Amorim in January.

Emery, Mikel Arteta and Enzo Maresca are the only three ‘managers’ in the Premier League. Their clubs all lifted silverware last season.

Friday marks Emery’s first match in charge of Villa, a 3-1 victory against United and the club’s first home victory against them since August 1995. Emery’s mentality ensured that would not be as good as it would get.

Villa, 17th when Emery took over, have since come seventh, fourth, sixth and fifth. They have helped render that awful old phrase ‘big six’ obsolete and finished above United twice.

Europa League glory in May marked Villa’s first trophy in 30 years. However long Emery remains in the midlands, he merits a permanent tribute at Villa Park.

The BBC commentator Ian Dennis noticed after Villa thrashed Freiburg in the Europa League final that Emery has won the competition with three clubs with ‘Villa’ in their name: Sevilla, Villarreal and Villa.

It is the biggest reason why Emery would be ill-fitted to managing United. The Spaniard has succeeded at clubs with little or no scrutiny and low expectations.

Jamie Carragher said Villa will never be United before his cringing climbdown on social media last week.

Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa, Emiliano Martinez and Youri Tielemans moved to bigger English clubs in the summer. Tielemans accurately told us in August that “there are still clubs above Villa, and Manchester United is one of them”.

Embarrassingly, Tielemans then apologised for his comments on Instagram amid a hissy fit from deluded online Villa fans. Martinez wanted to join United last year after they had finished ten places below Villa.

At clubs where there is significant scrutiny and lofty expectations, Emery has failed. His time at Paris Saint-Germain is best remembered for the extraordinary 6-1 Champions League shellacking by Barcelona after winning the round-of-16 first leg 4-0 in 2017.

Emery was always an unusual choice to succeed Arsene Wenger in 2018. His 18 months at Arsenal even included his one Europa League final defeat, a 4-1 thumping by Chelsea.

During this borderline golden era for Villa, with their best team in 30 years they have won one trophy. During the same period, United have won two and their worst team in 51 years reached a Europa League final.

Uefa have unwittingly rigged the Europa League and Conference League for English clubs. The drab league format reduces jeopardy and the budgets of English top seven sides or cup winners blow their overseas counterparts out of the water.

Champions League teams do not drop down when eliminated from the group stage to up the standards. The Premier League has monopolised the two Europas since the format change in 2024. 

Villa’s knockout run last year read Lille (3-0 on aggregate), Bologna (7-1 on aggregate) and Nottingham Forest (4-1 on aggregate) before Freiburg were pummelled 3-0. It was theirs to lose.

Emery’s triumph with Villarreal against United in 2021 has its own caveat, given it was achieved amid the soullessness of pandemic-era football.

United require an authoritarian in charge. They always have done and it is on director of football Jason Wilcox that he compromised and settled on the safe option of Carrick. His tactics were publicly questioned by the club captain 11 games into the season and Bruno Fernandes is already back in the side.

Emery’s experience, authority and longevity understandably appeal to many United fans. As does his Premier League nous.

Yet Villa’s record at United under Emery is another red flag: four games and four defeats, two against the worst United teams in living memory.

Villa were the poorest team at Old Trafford in 2024-25 – the season United finished 15th. They bottled Champions League qualification on the final day against a United side reeling from their meek Europa League final defeat to Tottenham.

Overall, Emery has managed nine times at Old Trafford, lost six and drawn three. His only ‘win’ was in Rio Ferdinand’s testimonial in 2013.

Sunday is his chance to show United who’s boss.