Former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves has stated that Aston Villa manager Unai Emery will surpass Pep Guardiola as the top manager in the Premier League. Emery guided Aston Villa to their first trophy in 30 years with a 3-0 victory over Freiburg in Wednesday's Europa League final.
This fifth Europa League title for the Spaniard comes a day after Mikel Arteta's Arsenal secured their first Premier League title since 2004, following Manchester City's draw at Bournemouth. Guardiola is set to leave City at the end of the season.
Reflecting on Emery's success, with Villa returning to the Champions League for the second time in three years, TNT Sport pundit Hargreaves commented: 'You could argue that with Pep leaving, he is the best in the Premier League. He has the most trophies and the most experience. Mikel is at the start of his journey and has done an incredible job this year, but Unai is in a category with the best of the best.'
'The only thing left for him really is whether he can win the Premier League or the Champions League. But to win five European trophies with different teams, probably not favourites, is actually remarkable.'
Hargreaves added: 'You just want to see these guys stay together and build something. They have set the foundations now. The fans are behind them, and this giant of a football club is back where it deserves to be.'
