Darren Bent Thinks Unai Emery Should Snub Manchester United for Aston Villa
Darren Bent, a former Aston Villa striker, believes Unai Emery, the current Villa Manager, is a much better fit for Manchester United than their current manager Erik ten Hag. However, Bent also acknowledges the difficulty in luring Emery away from a flourishing Villa side.
Emery’s Villa Success Sparks Talk of United Move
Aston Villa’s impressive 2-0 victory over Arsenal has reignited discussions about the Villa manager potentially taking the reins at Old Trafford. The win puts Villa in a strong position to qualify for the Champions League, while Manchester United languish in seventh place.
Bent: Emery Far Superior to Ten Hag
Bent, who played for Villa between 2011 and 2015, is convinced that the former PSG manager would be a significant upgrade on Ten Hag. “Yeah of course he is,” Bent said on talkSPORT. “You’ve got Ten Hag and he’s leagues above him. Like leagues!”
The former striker highlighted Emery’s remarkable turnaround at Villa. He took over a struggling side in 17th place and guided them to European qualification within the same season.
“He’s been incredible, absolutely incredible,” Bent said, contrasting Emery’s success with Steven Gerrard’s earlier struggles. “[Under] Steven Gerrard, [they were] struggling… There was performances from Steven Gerrard where we’d go ‘Oh! not great'”
Villa Manager Praised for Player Development and Team Identity
Bent further praised Emery’s ability to develop players individually. He pointed to striker Ollie Watkins‘ 19 league goals, captain John McGinn’s improvement, and Ezri Konsa’s first England call-up under Emery’s leadership.
“What he’s done has been absolutely incredible,” Bent said. “I mean the identity they’ve got, the way he’s making certain players better.”
Bent: Difficult to Lure Emery Away from Villa’s Upward Trajectory
While acknowledging Manchester United’s prestige, Bent believes Emery is unlikely to leave a team on such a positive trajectory.
“So would he leave his current post? Listen, Manchester United’s a bigger club, that’s a fact,” Bent said. “But I think to convince him to leave, it would have to take one hell of an effort for Manchester United. All their ducks would have to be aligned for him to even consider it.”
Goldstein Believes Allure of Manchester United Too Strong
TalkSPORT presenter Andy Goldstein, however, disagreed. He believes the allure of managing a club of Manchester United’s stature would be too much to resist, despite their current struggles.
“If you’ve got the opportunity to manage one of the biggest clubs in the world,” Goldstein said. “If this was Barcelona, if Barcelona slipped to 8th [in the league], and Unai Emery had the chance to manage them, he’s going.”
Bent Stands Firm: United Rebuild Too Much for Emery
Despite Goldstein’s argument, Bent remains unconvinced. He emphasizes the significant rebuilding job that awaits any manager at Old Trafford.
“I don’t think he’ll go to Manchester United in the summer regardless,” Bent said. “There’s so much that’s got to go at your club. You’ve got to get players out, players in. Who’s the sporting director? There’s so much that has to be done at United. Why would he leave Villa?”
Bent concluded by urging Emery to stay put at Villa Park: “Unai, stay where you’re at!”
