Jamie Carragher (AP-Yonhap)
Jamie Carragher (AP-Yonhap)

LONDON (AP) -- Soccer pundit Jamie Carragher has apologized to Aston Villa for comments he made on a podcast that prompted the English club to say it would take legal action against the former Liverpool defender.

Carragher used an expletive toward Villa fans who had criticized him for suggesting manager Unai Emery should consider taking over at Manchester United if under-pressure Michael Carrick was fired.

Speaking on the "Stick to Football" podcast broadcast Thursday, Carragher said "there is a chain in football, whether you like it or not" and that "Aston Villa will never be Manchester United."

Late Friday, Villa posted a statement on X signed by chairman Nassef Sawiris.

"Aston Villa will initiate legal action against Jamie Carragher for his unacceptable insults about the club and its fans," the statement said.

"Aston Villa will not allow anyone to stop our ascension in English and European football."

Carragher responded with his own post on X on Saturday.

"I'd like to apologize to Aston Villa, the owners & their fans," he wrote. "My language this week was clumsy & wrong.

"I can assure Villa fans it was tongue in cheek but I can understand it's not come across that way, so apologies."

Carragher is a prominent soccer pundit who works for British broadcaster Sky Sports and U.S. broadcaster CBS. He retired from playing in 2013.

In 2018, Carragher was briefly suspended by Sky after being filmed spitting in the direction of a 14-year-old girl through his car window.