Carragher slams Man Utd prediction as "absolute nonsense" as Man City and Liverpool comparison made

Jamie Carragher insists Manchester United were never that far away from Manchester City and Liverpool, claiming that past suggestions it would take them five years to catch up were always "nonsense".

City have dominated English football in recent years, with Pep Guardiola's side crowned Premier League champions in four out of the last five seasons.

The one exception was Liverpool's triumph in the 2019-20 campaign and, despite their struggles this season, Jurgen Klopp's side have been the most consistent rivals to City since Guardiola's arrival at the Etihad.

His side face new challengers this season, however, with Arsenal currently five points clear at the top of the league, and Newcastle and Manchester United only four points behind City.

United finished sixth in the league last season with a goal difference of zero but have shown real signs of improvement under new manager Erik ten Hag.

There is now expectation, rather than hope, that Ten Hag will lead United to their first piece of silverware since 2017.

Carragher: Man Utd prediction 'nonsense'

While Carragher has been impressed by Ten Hag's influence at Old Trafford, he insists United were never that far away from the teams at the top – even if the Premier League table suggested otherwise.

"Last season when United had the awful result against Liverpool [a 5-0 defeat at Old Trafford], there was a lot of talk after it saying 'United are five years away from City and Liverpool.' People were even saying longer. It just shows that this is absolute nonsense," Carragher told Sky Sports.

"A top club, with the right manager. If you add two or three players to what you’ve got, you’re nowhere near as far away as people think… supporters get ups and downs.

"You think of those games last season and talk off the back of them on Man United, it was never going to take the club five years to get back to where they belong."

Ten Hag plays down trophy talk

While there is undoubtedly a positive atmosphere around Old Trafford, Ten Hag insists he isn't yet thinking about silverware as his side prepare to face Everton in the third round of the FA Cup on Friday.

"I don't think about that. At this stage of the season, that is not where you are looking at," he said.

"You have to look at getting into a position where you can win something because there are so many games to play and I know the season is long, especially with a lot of the games still ahead. I don't get distracted.

"When you think too far ahead, you get distracted. Don't do it, focus on the game. Focus on your progress. Focus on your team performance. Focus on the team development. It's all about that.

"There are many elements in our game that we have to improve, so think about that, concentrate on that and work together to get it better."