John O’Shea has identified the impact that the absences of Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha had on two Manchester United players in the Everton match.
Benjamin Sesko had already been likely to miss Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat to Everton after the Red Devils striker suffered a knee injury earlier this month.
What did you think of Ruben Amorim’s post-game comments after the loss to Everton?
“I feel afraid of returning of this feeling of last season, that is my biggest concern. So we need to work together, we are going to work together.”
The 22-year-old Slovenian forward limped off late in United’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham in the Premier League ahead of the November international break.
Sesko’s knee injury is set to keep him out of action for at least a month, with the United summer signing missing Slovenia’s World Cup qualifiers during the break.
However, Ruben Amorim suffered another key setback for United’s first match in the post-international break after Matheus Cunha was ruled out of action as well.
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Matheus Cunha in action during a first-team training session as part of Manchester United’s pre-season tour of the USA in 2025 at the Endeavor Health Performance Center in Chicago, Illinois.
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John O’Shea singles out the main knock-on effect that the Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha injuries had for Man Utd
The notable injuries to Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha left Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim short of an effective attacking threat against Everton.
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Joshua Zirkzee led the United frontline after receiving a rare start under Amorim this season, with Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo both playing in the two No 10 roles.
John O’Shea felt that the burden fell on Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes to throw the kitchen sink at Everton in United’s pursuit of an all-important equaliser.
What is your message to Ruben Amorim after Manchester United’s defeat to Everton?
Ruben Amorim gestures
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Speaking on talkSPORT after United’s loss to Everton on Monday evening, he said: “No, listen, that is worrying.
“I mean, obviously, Sesko and Cunha were missing last night through knocks, but then you had obviously in Mbeumo and Bruno, they were trying their best.
“Bruno, in fairness, was unlucky with a couple of great shots and it looked like again he was going to be the only one [to score].”
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John O’Shea breaks down what Man Utd failed to effectively do against a 10-man Everton side at Old Trafford
David Moyes watched on from the Old Trafford dugout as Everton were reduced to 10 men inside the opening 15 minutes after Idrissa Gueye was sent off.
But Everton stunned United with the first-half opener through Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and the Toffees maintained their lead over the course of the second half.
O’Shea believes that United failed to take advantage of the space in the second half and to stretch Everton in the dying stages of the Premier League match on Monday.
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Shea Lacey at Carrington
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“But as you said, the key bit and listen, you’ll know sometimes you get your joy against 10 men in the last 5-10 minutes of the game,” he continued.
“If you move the ball really quick, if you, as you said, if you stretch it, you’ll wear them down.
“They’ll eventually not be able to cover the spaces and he’ll [Fernandes] take advantage from it and it just wasn’t the case last night.
“As you said, Everton was just able to cope with it.”
United will now travel to Selhurst Park on Sunday and the Red Devils will face Crystal Palace at 12pm UK time in their Premier League clash.