Carragher apologises to Villa for 'wrong' language

Former England defender Jamie Carragher has issued an apology to Aston Villa, the club's owners and their supporters for employing inappropriate language when discussing potential manager Unai Emery's interest in leading the club back to its former glory. The apology comes in response to Villa's decision to consider legal action against Carragher for remarks deemed "unacceptable insults" on the Stick to Football podcast.

In the podcast, Carragher made comments implying that Emery's ambition would align with managing a "giant" club, such as Manchester United, and suggested that Aston Villa would never reach that level. He also directed his remarks towards the club's fans, telling them to "shut up" and adding that "Aston Villa will never be Manchester United."

Carragher later clarified on social media that his intention was to joke around, acknowledging that his language was clumsy and wrong. He assured Villa fans that he was tongue in cheek, but understood that his words did not come across that way. Despite his clarification, Villa decided to proceed with legal action against the former defender.

The comments have come at a challenging time for both Carragher and Aston Villa, with Manchester United's manager Michael Carrick's position uncertain following a disappointing start to the season. Emery, previously the manager of Paris St-Germain and Arsenal, is seen as a potential replacement for the Manchester United job.