Gary Neville fears Premier League manager could walk away after ONE GAME with ‘heart ripped out’ of club

GARY NEVILLE has said that he is ‘nervous’ about Unai Emery walking away from his role as Aston Villa boss. The Spanish tactician led Villa to their second Champions League campaign in three years last season, winning the Europa League on top of securing a fourth-place finish. Gary Neville has concerns that Unai Emery could walk away from Aston Villa Credit: Getty The Spanish manager watched his side be torn apart in the transfer window Credit: AFP But his side came crashing down to earth after a number of his best stars were sold in the summer window. Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa, Lucas Digne and Youri Tielemans were among the names that left the club, many of whom going to Premier League rivals. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Those departures told as they suffered a 4-0 opening day loss to Brighton, with their marquee signing Joao Gomes being sent off in the first half just minutes after giving the ball away for the fourth goal. Fans were damning in their assessment of Villa’s barebones side, and now Manchester United legend Neville has expressed concerns about Emery’s state of mind. He said on the Gary Neville podcast: “The goals that Villa conceded were horrific. But you looked at the Villa team as it was announced, and you looked at the Villa bench, and you were like, ‘they’ve had the heart ripped out of it.’ “You talk about who’s left – Tielemans, Rogers, Konsa. Talk about the heart being ripped out of Newcastle’s midfield. I mean, the experience that they’ve lost there. And there’s this peculiar thing going on at the moment with PSR, and sort of no one knows where the money is. It’s all over the shop, isn’t it? “And so Villa will be sat there. Villa’s fans will be sat there. They’ve got an outstanding manager, and the big thing that I was thinking during that match at 4-0 was, ‘they’ve got to keep Unai Emery‘. Is Unai Emery going to think ‘Hang on a minute, I can’t be associated with this’?” The manager was clearly fuming during the break and stormed down his tunnel after the match without shaking his opposite number’s hand. Most read in Sport CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Villa have some serious business to do to avoid another embarrassment Credit: Reuters Villa are primed to do some more transfer business, with goalkeeper signing Zion Suzuki ready to come into the fold and free agent Leon Goretzka nearing a deal. But as Ollie Watkins looks increasingly likely to leave, and Emiliano Martinez clearly out of Emery’s plans, Villa seem a way off being able to compete in the Prem or Champions League. Neville continued: “Hopefully (he stays), because I really want Villa to do well, and I want Unai Emery to stay there because I think I love the idea of different teams breaking into the Champions League places. Watching Villa in the last couple of seasons has been a joy. “I just love Emery and the way he works, the way his teams play. It’s great to see them, from where they were 10 years ago when they were in the Championship. “It’s a brilliant journey that they’ve been on, and sort of getting into this position. But this could go like that quite quickly. They’ve got to hold on to the manager. They’ve somehow got to get some players in this week. “Villa are in a great position. They’re going to have a lot of good games this season. That was a shock seeing that. Well done to Brighton, but that was a big shock. And my immediate nervousness for Aston Villa is keeping their manager.” 1 comment1