Jamie Carragher rejects comparisons between Erik ten Hag's first two seasons at Man United and Mikel Arteta's at Arsenal... as he claims there is 'one big difference' between them

Jamie Carragher does not believe Mikel Arteta's first two seasons in charge at Arsenal can be used as a reference point to defend Erik ten Hag at Man United.

Arteta only managed eighth place finishes in both of his first campaigns with the Gunners but patience has payed off with the club finishing second last season and still in with a chance of lifting the title this time around.

Ten Hag's first season was an encouraging one with United finishing third but his second has been anything but.

The Red Devils find themselves eight spots down the table at the end of what has been a miserable campaign.

Writing in his column for The Telegraph, Carragher says he sees big differences between the two managers when it comes to looking at their first two campaigns. 

'Arteta’s Arsenal performance levels never sank as consistently low as those of Ten Hag’s Manchester United.

'None of Arteta’s most disappointing losses were remotely comparable to the 4-0 defeat by Crystal Palace on Monday night.

'Worryingly for Ten Hag, the biggest difference is he is not the owner’s appointment. The Arsenal board staked their reputation on Arteta coming good. Logic suggests Ratcliffe will be more inclined to stand or fall based on his managerial pick.

Carragher believes there were always signs of progress at Arsenal despite inconsistent results. 

'That meant amid the setbacks there was always a sense of an ultimate destination. When Arsenal enjoyed good results and performances, you could see the fruits of the work on the training ground. Arsenal took steps back to move forward.

'Manchester United, by contrast, made a move forward last year, but have taken several steps back since.

'Even when United have enjoyed good results under Ten Hag, I am genuinely struggling to recall any exceptionally good performances with a perceptively proactive system of play.'