Manchester United manager Michael Carrick will be delighted after securing a crucial victory over Aston Villa in their race to finish in the Champions League places in the Premier League, and his decision on Benjamin Sesko was an interesting one.
United secured a 3-1 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford, thanks to goals from Sesko, Casemiro, and Matheus Cunha. The win ensured the Manchester club are now three points ahead of Villa in the race to finish in the Champions League places, and it was important that they bounced back after defeat against Newcastle United last time out.
Carrick opted to start with Bryan Mbeumo as the lone striker against Aston Villa, before bringing Sesko off the bench, and it was the latter who struck to seal the victory at Old Trafford.
Michael Carrick Decision Questioned
Benjamin Sesko
Benjamin Sesko
Journalist Samuel Luckhurst has claimed that Carrick was 'spared embarrassment' of justifying Sesko being benched after they secured three points, with the Slovenian striker coming off the bench to score late on.
Before the game against Villa, Sesko had scored three times in four appearances, and he's now made it four in his previous five.
After failing to score against Newcastle, Carrick opted to move Sesko to the bench, but it's a decision he might not be making again.
Sesko deserves to be starting games considering his goal record over the last few months, while Mbeumo hasn't found the back of the net since 7th February.
The decision from Carrick might have been heavily scrutinised had the Red Devils not secured three points, but thankfully for him, his side saved him the prospect of any criticism.
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It's a Nice Problem for Man Utd
manchester united mbeumo
Although Carrick will be wanting to see more from Mbeumo at the moment, it's a nice problem for United to have. The United boss knows he can bring on a player of Sesko's calibre, and he's on fire in recent weeks.
Sesko is certainly pushing to become a guaranteed starter for the Red Devils, and he was perhaps unfortunate not to be named in the XI against Aston Villa.
The goal late on has certainly helped his chances of being brought back into the 11, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him start next time out.