As soon as Benjamin Sesko came off the bench for Manchester United against Everton, there was a feeling he’d be the saviour yet again. The Slovenian striker has started on the bench in all of Michael Carrick’s six games in charge.
Fans weren’t too happy to see Sesko once again fail to make the starting lineup against the Toffees last night. Their frustrations grew when United’s attack struggled to impress at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Sesko entered the fray in the 58th minute and scored his seventh goal of the season 13 minutes later. A stunning counter-attacking move started with the 22-year-old in his own half.
The Red Devils’ frontman raced the length of the pitch, breaking past James Tarkowski before tidily placing the ball in the back of the net. His goal was crucial for the visitors in the race for Champions League football.
Sesko’s celebrations spoke of a young forward eager to finally be given his chance in the starting lineup. It may well lead to him leading the line from the off in Sunday’s encounter with Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.
Negative Neville
Gary Neville was on commentary for Sky Sports and praised the Slovenian for continuing to come to the fore. The United legend admitted he hasn’t always shown faith in the summer signing who arrived from RB Leipzig for £73m.
The former Red Devils captain still left fans annoyed when he spoke on The Gary Neville podcast. He said that Sesko, “I don’t think he is ever going to be the perfect striker, similar like I said about [Viktor] Gyokeres.”
This didn’t go down well with supporters who are growing weary of Neville’s negativity towards the player. One fan responded, “Gary Neville still somehow managing to be negative about Sesko, water is wet!”
Another pointed out, “Some times pundits just need to put their hands up and say, maybe I was too rash too soon and I go it wrong. No Prem player has more goals than Sesko in 2026 and that’s coming from th bench. He’s also 22!”
Sesko has come under scrutiny during his debut season at United despite still adapting to the Premier League. He cost a pretty penny but is viewed as the long-term solution up top.
His goal last night means he now sits on seven goals and one assist in 22 league games. He has started just 11 of those, and his last three goals have come in 69 minutes’ worth of game time.
Start Sesko
Sesko is still at the very start of his United career and is still adjusting to life in England and at Old Trafford. He looks to have grown in confidence since the turn of the year and proven that many jumped the gun.
While Carrick has preferred to start with Bryan Mbeumo as a false nine, he has insisted that Sesko is a huge part of the club’s long-term plans. He needs time to settle, but the likes of Neville are already criticising him despite his impressive start to 2026.
Sesko must start against Palace on Sunday, and if he doesn’t, there will be questions asked of Carrick. The Eagles will set up in a similar manner as Everton, and playing Mbeumo up top didn’t work against a dogged defence.
