Man Utd striker Benjamin Sesko was yet to get going when he made his first appearance in the Manchester derby.
United's summer signings pictured at Old Trafford.(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)
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Michael Carrick played alongside great Manchester United strikers, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Then he coached Ronaldo.
"Wayne is awesome. When I first came to the club, I thought he was a great player. Three years on, he is even better. He just improves each season," said Carrick about Rooney in January 2010.
"More often than not, he will put it away," Carrick said about Van Persie three years later. Carrick spoke effusively about Ibrahimovic, hailing him as "incredible" after the 2017 League Cup victory against Southampton.
Carrick dropped Ronaldo to the bench against Chelsea during his stint as United caretaker in 2021, but there was mutual respect between him and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. A few years ago, Ronaldo described Carrick as a "class act" and backed him to become a "great coach."
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The 44-year-old coach forged strong relationships with some of the finest strikers to have ever represented United. Carrick was privy to how they trained, the extra finishing practice they did, and the meticulous preparation they put into matches. He would have been daft not to soak up that information.
In 2018, Carrick announced his intention to become a manager before he retired from playing that summer, but exploring a coaching career would have been on his mind well before that.
Carrick was part of some of the most successful teams in United history and observing those around him prepared him to transition into coaching. Now, he will try to pass on that knowledge at Carrington.
Carrick and Rooney with the FA Cup trophy in 2016.(Image: 2016 Manchester United FC)
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The presumption is that the midfielders will benefit most from working with Carrick, one of the finest midfielders England has produced, but his best coaching success story so far came with a goalscorer.
Chuba Akpom unlocked a new level of form thanks to Carrick's coaching at Middlesbrough. "He had huge success in transforming Akpom into a No.10. Akpom had been signed as a striker but had flopped on Teesside until Carrick moved him into a deeper attacking role, a position he'd never previously played," Dominic Shaw, sports reporter at The Northern Echo told the MEN.
"Akpom was the Championship's Player of the Year in 2022/23 and earned a move to Ajax. He said Carrick was 'the manager he'd been dreaming of his whole career'. Carrick played down his role in his improvement, saying he'd just followed his instinct after watching Akpom in training."
Akpom sprinted to Carrick to embrace him on the touchline after scoring near the end of that season. He scored a total of 28 goals in the Championship, a haul that hasn't been beaten in the second tier since.
Carrick worked magic with Akpom and perhaps has an eye for a forward after playing in that position as a boy with Wallsend Boys Club. "I was a striker, believe it or not," he said in an interview with the BBC. "I would get an odd goal or two. I gradually got moved further and further back."
United fans will hope Carrick can draw on his extensive experience as a player and coach to coax further improvement from Benjamin Sesko, who has scored three goals in his last two games.
Sesko scored an excellent brace against Burnley in the Premier League, finding the back of the net as many times in 10 minutes at Turf Moor as he'd managed in his previous four months in Manchester.
There have been green shoots from Sesko over the last fortnight and, with the Manchester derby today, he could be coming to the boil at the perfect time.
Sesko celebrates at Turf Moor.(Image: 2026 Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA)
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Sesko was handed a first taste of the Manchester derby in September. United were hammered 3-0 at the Etihad. Sesko had just 20 touches, recorded one shot, completed 14 passes and won 33 per cent of his duels.
The Slovenian international was replaced in the 80th minute to round off a miserable few weeks, in which United were humiliated against their rivals and beaten by Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup second round.
Sesko was the last United player to take a penalty in the shootout against Grimsby at Blundell Park. Although it transpired that he'd suffered from cramp in the closing stages of the contest, the optics weren't good.
The 22-year-old heads into his second Manchester derby in different circumstances. The manager who said he was "struggling" has departed, he's notched a few goals and should be confident.
Sesko made his derby debut four months ago, but he could be 'properly introduced' to City this weekend if he manages to continue his momentum, win his aerial battles and cause problems in the box.
Carrick has a project on his hands with Sesko, and a goal in the derby would do a world of good for his United career. Darren Fletcher made time to speak to Sesko during his brief caretaker stint, and Carrick, speaking ahead of City, said he enjoys the challenge of improving players.
"Helping individuals is a big part of what I enjoy. I think if you improve the individuals, then you create a better team," said Carrick. Helping Sesko wouldn't be a bad place to start.