Michael Carrick can no longer snub Benjamin Sesko from the Manchester United starting XI and must do the right thing by playing him ahead of Amad Diallo against Crystal Palace.
Benjamin Sesko has been reduced to a role on the bench and lost his place in the Manchester United starting XI in the post-Ruben Amorim era at Old Trafford.
Should Benjamin Sesko start for Man Utd vs Crystal Palace?
Benjamin Sesko celebrates scoring during the Premier League match between Everton and Manchester United at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool, England in 2026.
Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images
Michael Carrick has been playing Bryan Mbeumo as the lone forward in his tactical set-up, with Amad Diallo returning to his preferred right winger role for United.
However, Sesko has still been making his presence known from his cameo roles as a key substitute for interim Red Devils head coach Michael Carrick in recent weeks.
United In Focus has now taken a deeper look into three arguments for why Sesko should finally return to the starting XI and Amad should drop to the bench for now.
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Benjamin Sesko celebrates scoring during the Premier League match between Everton and Manchester United at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool, England in 2026.
Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images
3. Benjamin Sesko has broken through the Man Utd ‘super-sub’ ceiling at Old Trafford
There were questions around Benjamin Sesko’s lack of consistency in the final third during his regular starting role under ex-Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim.
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Sesko played over 1,000 minutes under Amorim and the 22-year-old Slovenian forward only netted twice in 17 matches across all competitions under his reign.
The United striker saw better returns under caretaker manager Darren Fletcher, with Sesko scoring three times in two matches before Michael Carrick’s January arrival.
Sesko has found the back of the net three times in his last five appearances from the bench under Carrick and has done enough to shatter the ‘super-sub’ status now.
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2. Crystal Palace’s aerial weakness is an absolute strength for Michael Carrick to turn to Man Utd striker Benjamin Sesko
Sesko showed his fine finishing in Man Utd’s 1-0 Premier League win over Everton, 1-1 away draw against West Ham and 3-2 home victory over Fulham this month.
All of the aforementioned strikes from Sesko came with his feet, but the United summer signing is equally devastating in the air with his physical presence.
The 6’5” in-form Red Devils forward could be an imposing figure for United’s attacking set-up against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
Oliver Glasner’s men have seen their defensive side weakened in January alone, with Marc Guehi leaving Crystal Palace and signing for Manchester City for a £20m fee.
READ MORE: Gary Lineker thinks he’s figured out why Benjamin Sesko had such slow start to life at Man Utd
Benjamin Sesko’s turnaround has been pretty stunning! Should he start the next game?
3. Amad Diallo’s fatigue is the real deal for the Man Utd and Ivory Coast ace
Amad Diallo has had an incredibly busy season so far, both playing at club level for United and with the Ivory Coast at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Even putting the Africa Cup of Nations competition to one side, Amad has played 1,712 minutes alone from his 21 Premier League appearances for United this season.
Add to that his 82 minutes in United’s one League Cup and the 353 minutes that he played in his five-match 2025 AFCON run with the Ivory Coast and Amad’s fatigue is now catching up with him.
United legend Carrick would be wise to drop the 23-year-old Ivory Coast international and turn to in-form striker Sesko for the Palace match instead.
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