Liverpool hero Jamie Carragher says Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta must be patient with Ben White.

The big money signing from Brighton has battled to settle in the opening games of his Gunners career.

Carragher observed: “Ben White needs time to settle in at Arsenal. When I played, and even now when I'm doing analysis, we should give players six months to settle into a club.

“But when you cost £50m and you're thrust into the first team, you're going to be judged immediately.

“You're coming to a team who have historically been so good. They're one of the biggest teams in the league, despite being in a difficult period.

“He'll be judged differently to when he was at Brighton. I don't know whether he's looked nervy or on edge, but he needs time to settle in and play with that back four.

“If I was a manager and giving him advice, what I would say to him is decision-making. Playing out from the back is all about risk assessment."

He also told Paddy Power: “It doesn't matter what a manager asks you to do, if Ben thinks it's too risky to do that, he has to take the other option. He has to think more while he's playing."