Liverpool hero Jamie Carragher dismantles Erik ten Hag's Man Utd defense with Jurgen Klopp response

Jamie Carragher rubbished the idea that Erik ten Hag just needs time to turn Manchester United into a winning machine again, as he compared the Dutchman's Premier League record to Jurgen Klopp's and Mikel Arteta's at the start of their respective reigns at Liverpool and Arsenal.

Following United's draw with Porto in the Europa League, Ten Hag urged people to reserve judgement on his team until the end of the season. The Red Devils have started the campaign in dismal form, winning just three of their nine matches in all competitions, and it doesn't get any easier for the 20-times champion of England as the team signs off for the international break with a trip to high-flying Aston Villa on Sunday.

• Martin Zubimendi has confirmed his intentions but Liverpool transfer picture has changed
• Ryan Gravenberch names Liverpool player who could have pipped him to Player of the Month award

A heavy defeat at Villa Park could seal the Dutchman's fate, and Carragher believes that it is no longer in any doubt that Ten Hag is not the man to take United forward. Speaking in his column for The Telegraph , Carragher said: "Over Ten Hag’s entire reign, 82 league games, United's goal difference figure is +11, which is extremely low for a top club. This was already a red flag in a good season when the team finished fourth, and the side have been on a downward trajectory in the 15 months since. How can anyone be surprised that they still look like they are going in the wrong direction?

"The standard modern defence for an underperforming coach is: 'Look how long it took Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta to get it right. It needs time.' After his first 82 games in charge of Liverpool, Klopp’s goal difference was +61 and Arteta’s +38. It is an insult to those managers’ early work to suggest their teams were ever as consistently bad as this United side, who have conceded at least three goals on 24 occasions under their current coach, including some historic horror shows such as a 7-0 defeat at Anfield as well as Thursday night’s collapse from 2-0 up in Porto. United are sending a shocking message about how low they are prepared to let standards slip before they act."

The few United fans who continue to defend Ten Hag often reference the early days of Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure when making the case for the Dutchman to be given more time. Ferguson was famously under pressure from fans in the late 1980s after an indifferent few seasons but went on to build a dynasty over the following two decades.