Benjamin Sesko has emerged as the late saviour for Michael Carrick in three games now, but he is yet to start under him, a stance that Man Utd will thank Carrick for.
It sounds like a counterproductive thing to say that the club will thank the manager for not starting a player in form.
However, Benjamin Sesko and Michael Carrick’s situation is a bit unique in the sense that the manager has clearly learned from the club’s mistake.
Benjamin Sesko’s turnaround has been pretty stunning! Should he start the next game?
It will end up helping Sesko, and in the process, show the club the folly of their previous ways.
Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko celebrates scoring vs Everton.
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Michael Carrick’s Benjamin Sesko stance
As Sesko bags one important goal after another, the question of when his first start under Carrick will come has dominated the headlines.
Carrick has maintained that he has a good relationship with Sesko, and the player has had no qualms about making an impact off the bench.
However, it has been multiple games now where the team that has looked toothless up front has been galvanised by Sesko’s presence.
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The demand to start him is at a fever pitch, but don’t be surprised if he doesn’t start against Crystal Palace in the next game either.
It’s not just because Carrick doesn’t want to fix what’s not broken, but because he has learned from the club’s mistake, which killed the United career of another promising young striker.
Man Utd will thank Carrick after Rasmus Hojlund’s struggles
Before Sesko was bought, Rasmus Hojlund was the “saviour” of United, signed as a teenager from Atalanta for a fee north of £70m.
Did Manchester United make a mistake sending Rasmus Hojlund on loan?
Needless to say, Hojlund didn’t end up being a success at the club, but his form at Napoli has shown he was certainly better than the player who struggled at Old Trafford.
Hojlund fell under the weight of expectations at Man Utd, tasked to take on the singular goalscoring burden at the club while being extremely raw with his game.
The club had no choice but to start him because he was often the only natural striker available, and so he was forced to play through bad runs of form.
When he needed protection, the spotlight turned brighter, and it eventually led to him having a crisis of confidence he couldn’t recover from until he left the club.
Carrick is easing Sesko in and letting his more experienced teammates shoulder the scoring burden. It is leading to an unleashed Sesko having the weight of the world lifted off his shoulders.
Fans might be frustrated at Sesko not starting now, but two years from now, when he’s the undisputed first-choice, they will be thanking Carrick for being careful with him in a way nobody was with Hojlund.
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