Benjamin Sesko is the flavour of the month at Man Utd as he can’t stop scoring, whether he’s starting or not, but it has pushed the club’s underappreciated star even more to the sidelines.
Another goal off the bench for Benjamin Sesko against Aston Villa made it his ninth in the league for the season, despite playing just 49% of all available minutes.
The mentality Sesko showed after dropping back to the bench is exemplary, and Michael Carrick also deserves credit for being bold with his selection.
However, spare a thought for Sesko’s teammate, who is now even more on the sidelines as Sesko drops back to his super-sub role.
Joshua Zirkzee with Benjamin Sesko in headlock
Photo by Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images
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Joshua Zirkzee’s impressive cameos for Man Utd are unrewarded
Since Carrick arrived at Old Trafford with the single objective of guiding the club back into the Champions League, the focus has narrowed.
The gap between games means there isn’t a need to rotate, especially for a winning team, which means Joshua Zirkzee has had to bide his time on the bench.
As a result, the Dutchman has played a total of just 28 minutes since Carrick’s arrival, but he has managed to show, even in those minutes, that he’s unlike any other player in the Man Utd squad.
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When Sesko won a starting place, Zirkzee’s prospects improved, as he became the choice of striker off the bench, recently playing 13 minutes against Newcastle.
However, now with Sesko back on the bench, Zirkzee is back to being a Hail Mary option for Carrick to throw onto the pitch if United are throwing the kitchen sink at a game.
For a player who’s more silky than savage, appearances in that kind of situation are exactly what he doesn’t need to showcase his full skill set.
Regardless, he made a difference when he came on against West Ham, and the team looked better with him against Newcastle as well.
Zirkzee’s impressive cameos were already going unrewarded. After Sesko’s bench role, even those cameos will be hard to come by.
Zirkzee faces tricky summer decision
United’s light fixture schedule has come at the worst possible time for Zirkzee because he will almost certainly miss the World Cup squad in the summer.
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He faces a tricky summer decision because he will have to weigh whether this season is his reality at Old Trafford or if he can force a change next season.
United will be back in four competitions next season, so there will be a lot more minutes to go around, and Zirkzee is a valuable dressing room presence the club won’t mind keeping on the books.
The decision will be up to Zirkzee. Does he move elsewhere to be an undisputed first-choice striker, or stay and play the squad game and back himself to become a crucial member of the team here?
If Carrick persists with the fluid attacking system, then it might be difficult for him to justify staying at the club as the third-choice striker.
With many exciting academy youngsters also knocking on the door, a tricky summer decision awaits for a player who deserved more appreciation for the role he played at the club.
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