The 44-year-old is on the verge of winning a third straight Europa League title and after successful spells at Valencia and Sevilla, surely he deserves his chance at an elite club

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Top coaches are at a premium these days. Every time a vacancy comes up at one of Europe’s elite clubs, all of the usual names are mentioned: Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp. But why have none of them looked to Unai Emery?

Manchester United in particular have spent the entire season deliberating over whether Mourinho is right or not for their philosophy. And while hardly anyone doubts the Portuguese is an upgrade on Louis van Gaal, it is all the other stuff that the former Chelsea manager brings that has caused uncertainty at Old Trafford.



The 53-year-old is a controversial figure, one who is prone to falling out with his players, the media and everyone else - and United still seem unsure about his short-term plan for success.

So why not Emery? The Basque-born coach is intense like Mourinho, but has shown at both Valencia and Sevilla that he can enjoy success over several seasons without the need to bait other teams and his own players, enter into public spats with rival coaches or hit out at referees and the media.

An unremarkable midfielder who spent most of his career in Spain's lower leagues, Unai came to prominence with Almeria, winning 52 points in La Liga in an excellent eighth-placed finish with the Andalusian club.



That earned him a move to Valencia and although he was often criticised during his time at Mestalla, he steered the club to three successive third-place finishes. The fans still wanted more, but Valencia have only ended up in the top four once since the Emery’s exit in 2012.



After a short stint in Russia, Emery was signed by Sevilla and he is now on the verge of winning a third straight Europa League title for the Andalusian club. And after Wednesday’s final against Liverpool in Basel, Sevilla have another showpiece to look forward to as they meet Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final at the Vicente Calderon on Sunday.

FULL STORY | Emery: Sevilla love the Europa League



Sevilla also won the Europa League (then the UEFA Cup) back in 2006 and 2007, with coach Juande Ramos eventually leaving later that year to join Tottenham. The Spaniard claimed a trophy at Spurs (the League Cup), but was ultimately sacked after winning just two points from eight games at that start of his second season.

That experience may put off some suitors, but there is no reason why Emery cannot do better than Juande. Ramos never got to grips with the language in England and also saw key players sold against his wishes. However, it was the failure to get his message across that really cost the former Sevilla boss.



Emery has shown he can cope when players move on - just as he has when Ivan Rakitic, Carlos Bacca and Federico Fazio all departed and Sevilla remained just as competitive. And the same thing happened at Mestalla when David Villa, David Silva and Juan Mata all left the club and Valencia kept on finishing third.



The 44-year-old also speaks some English, although he will want to improve his language skills before one day testing himself in the Premier League, where West Ham showed some interest last summer prior to the arrival of Slaven Bilic. Given Emery's track record, however, he should be attracting the cream of Europe's elite.

AC Milan made contact last year as well, while Chelsea, United and even Real Madrid have been linked with the Basque boss in the last 12 months. Such is his quality, his intense desire to succeed and his ability at what is still a young age for a coach, he would not look out of place at any of those clubs.



And if United are worried by the possible damage to their image by recruiting Mourinho, then they could do far worse than making a move for the Sevilla coach this summer.



At the Sanchez Pizjuan, he admits that competing in the Champions League is tough, but relishes European football's second-tier competition. "The Champions League is nice and we want to play in it," he said recently. "But you meet the very top teams in that competition and they overcome you. When you are in the Europa League, you know you can win it."

If he does win it on Wednesday for a third time in a row, Emery will surely be on the radar at one of Europe’s top teams. And win or lose against Liverpool, he deserves the opportunity to show he can achieve similar success at one of the continent's biggest clubs.