At a Glance
- Sesko has been a super-sub for Manchester United
- The Slovenian scored off the bench vs Villa
- Schmeichel gave an interesting verdict
Peter Schmeichel has thrown his support behind Michael Carrick after his bold decision to leave Benjamin Sesko out of the starting XI against Aston Villa. The Dane said he understood the reasoning behind the move and the need to manage the young striker carefully.
After making just his second start on March 4th under interim boss Michael Carrick, Sesko struggled to make an impact. Manchester United were undone by Newcastle United, suffering their first league defeat since 21 December.
But despite his poor game against the Geordies, Sesko has been on fine form. He has scored on five separate occasions under Carrick’s tenure.
It has been the impact of these goals that has been the real statement. He has often rescued points at crucial moments and proved his value to the side.
Peter Schmeichel weighs in on Sesko
Schmeichel, speaking in a post-match analysis on Viaplay, weighed in on the Sesko discourse. The former Manchester United shot-stopper said:
“It’s great to have players where you think, when they come on, that there’s a chance, a very, very good chance, that they’re going to score.”
He added:
“He’s got great instincts and we’ve seen this now in the last eight or nine games. His instincts are very good.“
Bryan Mbeumo returned to a number nine role in the starting lineup against Villa. Schmeichel suggested that should continue:
“I’m not sure he’s completely ready to be a starting number nine in every game so I thought it was quite good of Michael Carrick to keep him on the bench and keep him hungry. He’s come on and he is enthusiastic.”
Sesko super-sub?
So is Schmeichel correct? Taking a look at the underlying data since Carrick arrived tells the story.
| Sesko starting | Sesko off the bench |
|---|---|
| Games – 2 | Games – 6 |
| Minutes – 165 | Minutes – 108 |
| Goals – 1 | Goals – 4 |
| Goals per minute – 165 | Goals per minute – 27 |
The data shows that the 22-year-old Slovenian has been more productive coming off the bench, registering a higher goals-per-minute ratio than when starting. The only time he found the net from the starting XI was with a header against Crystal Palace, a strike that ultimately secured the win.
Sesko would once again find the net coming on as a substitute against Aston Villa, this time scoring United’s third, putting the game out of reach.
With the Red Devils’ trip to Bournemouth on Friday night fast approaching, Carrick has a headache of who to start up top. But at least it is a good one.
