Manchester United are there again. A manager’s head is on the block and names are being thrown around to replace him.
One of those is Unai Emery. The Aston Villa manager has been linked at various points before and has been brought back in as a potential Michael Carrick replacement.
To an extent, that’s understandable. Emery has done very good job at Villa Park. He has a record of improving players, which must be attractive at Manchester United given they specialise in doing the opposite.
Aston Villa would of course be against an exit. That would doubly true midway through a season. However, Emery himself would be likely to look at what he’s already got and decide it’s the better option.
This isn’t just a case of managing the Birmingham club or the red side of Manchester. It isn’t even down to United being a basket case of impressive proportions.
For Emery, it runs deeper.
Unai Emery and the Aston Villa help for family legacy
Unai Emery Etxegoien, to give him his full Basque name, was born in 1971 in the town of Hondarribia. His father, Juan, who died in 2015, had been a professional footballer.
The goalkeeper had come through the ranks at Real Unión, before playing for several Spanish clubs, including Real Unión again. Unai’s grandfather, Antonio, had also been a professional football and spent his whole career at Real Unión.
Antonio won the Copa del Rey twice, and remarkably he started his career as a winger before converting to a goalkeeper.
In 2021, the Emery family took over Real Unión. Igor Emery, Unai’s brother, is president of the Basque club.
Within a couple of years, Aston Villa got involved via V Sports. There was a €4.5m injection, which gave V Sports around 25% of the shares.
Bashir Lebada from V Sports was appointed as a director in 2025 and Aston Villa sporting director Roberto Olabe is in the process of being so.
Last season, the club finished first in the Segunda Federación. They’re now in Group 1 of the Primera Federación, the third tier of Spanish football. So far this season, two goalkeepers have been taking it turn to share matches. The youngest is 23-year-old Lander Emery, and you’ll already have guessed who his father is.
Given how deep the connections are between V Sports, Aston Villa and the Emery family, Unai even trying to force his way out seems highly unlikely.
Wider connections with Aston Villa
V Sports are not just limited to Aston Villa and Real Unión. The group has large holdings in FC Annecy in France and Vitória Guimarães in Portugal.
Earlier on Thursday, Sport Witness reported that Vitória are having an Extraordinary General Meetingon October 30th, during which Roberto Olabe and Bashir Lebada are expected to be elected to the club’s board.
That would make the pair directors of all of Aston Villa, Vitória Guimarães and Real Unión.
The way V Sports are planning for the future, with Real Unión very much in it, makes a Unai Emery separation unlikely. Manchester United may well have the name, but there’s elements of the whole package they simply can’t compete with.
That is not to say that Unai Emery will be at Aston Villa forever, but trying to walk out on a contract lasting until 2029, against the wishes of a company so linked with his family’s interests, doesn’t appear feasible.
Manchester United, if and when they dispense with Michael Carrick, will almost certainly have to look elsewhere.
