Gary Lineker has offered his thoughts on Michael Carrick's handling of one big-name player.
Gary Lineker has called out Michael Carrick's treatment of Benjamin Sesko
Gary Lineker has called out Michael Carrick's treatment of Benjamin Sesko (Image: STICK TO FOOTBALL)
Gary Lineker has criticised Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick following his decision to give Benjamin Sesko just 23 minutes during the Manchester derby. The forward entered the match in the second half after Erling Haaland controversially put the visitors ahead with a goal that should have been ruled out.
Sesko registered only eight touches during his brief appearance, with Carrick's team finding it difficult to penetrate City's defensive structure. While he attempted a long-range effort, it was Bryan Mbeumo who came closest to levelling the scores, only to be thwarted late on by Gianluigi Donnarumma. Given United's struggles to fashion clear-cut opportunities, both the squad and Carrick have faced scrutiny over particular tactical choices.
The manager has attracted considerable criticism regarding his use of substitutes, with Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer expressing bewilderment at the delay in introducing Sesko.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker commented: "Up top... they look like they're lacking. They've got Sesko on the bench.
"It's odd, he comes on and he has scored in games but you wonder why he's not getting a starting place.
"Obviously they've got Cunha, he's more of a ten than a nine, [Bryan] Mbeumo plays mostly off the right, obviously [Marcus] Rashford is on the left.
"You kept looking at it and thinking: 'If you get someone up top... are you going to bring the big man on?'. He did come on a bit late."
Shearer added: "He could have given him more time, Sesko. I was saying: 'He has to bring him on'. I thought he could have brought him on at least ten minutes earlier than he actually did.
"There's talk of how they've strengthened their forwards and they've strengthened the midfield but they didn't strengthen defensively. I'm not 100 per cent certain that they're that great up top anyway.
Sesko has been used sparingly in the opening weeks of the campaign
Sesko has been used sparingly in the opening weeks of the campaign (Image: Getty)
"I think they're all right, they're decent, but when you compare them to a lot of the big teams..."
Gary Neville, who was on commentary duties for Sky Sports, was equally surprised, having been fully expecting Sesko to be introduced early in the second half.
The striker has been carefully managed throughout the opening weeks of the campaign, having only recently returned to full fitness following an injury sustained towards the close of last season.
He started and played 64 minutes of the Champions League fixture against Sabah the previous week, while his Premier League appearances have been limited to brief substitute outings.
Despite scoring in both matches prior to the City clash, it came as little shock that Carrick chose to field Matheus Cunha as the central striker, especially considering how the game was expected to unfold.
Phil Foden's red card, however, piled pressure on United to find a breakthrough, yet the Reds failed to make their numerical superiority count and slumped to defeat.
The loss to their local rivals leaves United with four points from a possible 12, with a trip to Fulham awaiting them before the extended international break.
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