Ruben Amorim 'will have performed brilliantly well' if he repeats Mikel Arteta's Arsenal feat
Jamie Carragher admits Ruben Amorim has an uphill task to replicate the upward trajectory Arsenal have enjoyed under Mikel Arteta as he embarks on his first full year as Manchester United boss.
The Red Devils will play host to the north Londoners on Sunday in the heavyweight clash of the Premier League's opening weekend with the home side out to prove they can take strides forward after a dire season last time out.
Arsenal arrive looking to improve on three successive second place finishes. Arteta took over when they were in the bottom half but, after some early teething problems, has made them into a team capable of challenging for honours.
That is now Amorim's remit with those on the red side of Manchester spending more than £200million to get the head coach the reinforcements he needs. Carragher though would be mighty impressed if United can bridge the gap to the likes of Arsenal in half a decade.
He wrote in the Telegraph: "If United reach Arsenal's current level in the next five years – absorbing three successive seasons competing for the title – Amorim will have performed brilliantly well."
Arteta, despite the noise around his lack of trophies, has proven himself able to mix it with the best managers on the planet and his next challenge is to show he can take the Gunners to the summit of English football. For Amorim though the jury is still out on him operating in England.
Carragher claimed: "The immediate expectation upon Arteta is to prove he can be a Premier League winner; the immediate expectation upon Amorim is to prove he is a Premier League-standard manager."
The Sky Sports pundit admits things got so bad last year in Manchester that he wondered whether a mutual parting of ways may have been the best thing, but the two parties have stuck by each other and there is an acceptance that United's rebuild will not happen overnight, whilst Arsenal are under pressure to mount a charge straight away.
"One side feels like they have time and space to slowly and steadily improve, while the other is under orders to hit the ground running," he said.
That being well, Carragher insists Arteta cannot be under pressure given the way he has turned Arsenal into a team who are consistently challenging for the biggest prizes. "No sensible boardroom is going to contemplate sacking a coach who is leading his side into every season capable of competing for the top honours," said the ex-Liverpool man.
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