The list of problems at Man Utd is not looking very long right now, and Benjamin Sesko should especially not be on it, but that’s actually not the case.
Benjamin Sesko marked another appearance off the bench with a goal, and while this one wasn’t a winner or an equaliser, it made Man Utd’s three points safe.
Michael Carrick took the bold call of dropping Sesko back to the bench, and it paid off, but the way they played when he wasn’t on the pitch was curious.
Even more interesting was how they played when he came on, which sums up the Sesko problem both with and without him. Only Carrick can fix it.
Michael Carrick celebrates with Benjamin Sesko at full time after the Premier League match between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford in 2026 in Manchester, England.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
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Man Utd’s Benjamin Sesko problem
Sesko’s recent hot streak is as much to do with him finding confidence as it is about any tactical detail someone has unlocked behind the scenes.
He’s a model professional who worked hard behind the scenes to rediscover his form, and once the first few goals went in, others followed.
However, that can’t detract from the fact that United are still not fully exploring his ceiling and utilising his abnormal skill set in the best way possible.
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It was on display again against Villa, as United put in one cross after another despite having Sesko on the bench to start the game.
Either Bryan Mbeumo was left to fight for those aerial balls, or they safely rolled out of the way despite being delivered in dangerous areas, since there was no natural striker occupying those areas.
United play without Sesko like he’s on the pitch, and they play with him like he’s not on the pitch.
That weird phenomenon was seen against Villa when he came on, and United stopped crossing, all of a sudden preferring to work the ball into the goal.
Bruno Fernandes showed against Crystal Palace what can happen if Sesko is fed dangerous aerial crosses, because his athleticism is otherworldly.
United’s problem is that they work the ball into the box when he’s on, and cross it aerially when he’s off.
Michael Carrick can fix United’s Sesko issue
Carrick’s work with Sesko so far has been largely mental, even though Travis Binnion has worked with him to great effect so far.
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He can take a page out of Sir Alex Ferguson’s book, as the legendary manager told his team in no uncertain manner that Robin van Persie needs to be fed regularly by everyone.
The result was a 26-goal season for the Dutchman, as teammates regularly sought out Van Persie.
Sesko is not at that level yet, so his teammates will naturally not trust him that much, but the gist of the argument remains the same.
When Sesko is playing, the team needs to maximise the use of his physical gifts with long and high balls, or even through balls, because he’s so quick as well.
When he’s not, they need to lean harder into one-twos and movement off the ball to break down defences instead of crossing to the shortest player on the pitch (Mbeumo).
The salivating scenario is that if Sesko can score with such regularity when the team is still learning to play with and without him, the sky will be the limit when it clicks.
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