"IT'S NOT EVEN CLOSE!" Carragher doubles down on claims Man Utd are a bigger club that Aston Villa despite legal action threats

Jamie Carragher has come out and defended his recent Aston Villa remarks - insisting he meant no disrespect but maintained that football's hierarchy very much exists.

The Sky Sports pundit landed himself in hot water when he suggested Manchester United should eye up Unai Emery - and then took aim at the Villa fans who questioned him. He finished his dialogue by saying "shut the f*** up Villa fans" - which led to the club considering legal action.

They've since backed out following an apology from Carragher, but the ex-Liverpool man has revisited his comments in his Telegraph column.

Emery's stellar work at Villa Park has seen them twice qualify for the Champions League in just three seasons, as well as winning the Europa League. Those exploits have put him in contention for major jobs in Europe, and Carragher maintains that the Red Devils will always be a bigger draw than Villa, even if Emery is happy where he is.

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He said: "What is beyond doubt is that by every metric defining a club’s size, United eclipse Villa: honours won, fanbase size, financial power, history, global status. In that head-to-head, it’s not even close. It did not strike me as controversial to suggest that when a club of United’s size wants Aston Villa ’s managers or players, traditionally they get them."

Emery will take his Villa side to Old Trafford this weekend with Michael Carrick's outfit teetering above the relegation only on goal difference. Despite that standing, their expectations remain sky high and that places huge pressure on whoever is occupying the dugout.

Carragher insists for all Villa and Emery's good work they are not held to the same standard as the club from Manchester - pointing to the reaction that followed their 3-0 loss at Barcelona in midweek as an example.

He added: "United clearly are not at the level of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG right now. But when any manager goes to Old Trafford, over the course of their contract they will be expected to build a team that will go head to head with those European giants. Anything less is failure. Villa are not judged to that standard.

"Emery is Villa’s best coach since their 1981 title-winner Ron Saunders, but he can take his side to Barcelona, get soundly beaten 3-0, and it will be brushed off as an understandable setback against European aristocracy. United managers cannot suffer that kind of loss without more scrutiny."