Sesko makes feelings clear on not starting for Man Utd under Carrick | Football | Sport

Benjamin Sesko was jeered by home fans as he left the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday evening, yet he showed no reaction as he made his way to the team coach. The 22-year-old’s composure is one of his greatest assets. Michael Carrick selected Sesko among the substitutes for a sixth consecutive match on Merseyside. Many players of comparable age might have shown discontent, yet the Slovenia international has simply continued his duties without complaint.

Sesko made an impact from the bench once more to score his sixth goal in seven outings. He stands as the Premier League’s most prolific striker currently, despite not earning a single start throughout Carrick’s caretaker spell thus far. Discussion ahead of the Everton fixture centred on whether Sesko would receive his maiden start under Carrick, who remarked post-match after a 1-0 win: “I get why everyone is making a big deal out of it.”

Demands for Sesko to begin this weekend will prove overwhelming. The forward has rendered himself impossible to overlook, whilst his answer to a question about his long wait for a start under Carrick revealed much about his mentality.

Speaking to journalists after his winner at Everton, Sesko commented: “We are talking, of course, but he [Carrick] believes in me, everyone believes in me. they are getting me ready to start as soon as possible. It’s more about me showing up when it’s important, no matter how many minutes I’m getting, I’m focusing on delivering and trying to help the team secure the wins.”

When questioned about whether a gradual introduction had benefited him this season, he replied: “Of course. I’m getting settled in the league from game to game. Again, I’m not even thinking about ‘I have to start, I have to start’.

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“For me, it’s just whenever the coach decides to put them there or not, I’m just going to be there. If I get the next minutes, five minutes, I’m going to use them and for me it’s just about trying to enjoy and delivering for the team.”

Earlier in the campaign, Sesko faced criticism from pundits. Gary Neville claimed he was “miles off it” in comparison to United’s other summer acquisitions. Ruben Amorim even suggested he was “struggling a little bit”. Those at Carrington suspect Sesko may have missed Neville’s remarks, given his minimal social media presence. He favours reading books at home and following basketball instead.

The striker is welcoming the expectation that accompanies a £66.4million price tag and a move to England’s most prominent club. “For me, the way I look at the pressure, it’s something that, if I want to be a good player, I have to have. I take it as a privilege,” he stated.

“It’s something that has [to be there] if you want to play at the highest level, and it’s about accepting it and not really caring about it. For me, it didn’t really affect me [the pressure to score goals this season] and I don’t think for Cunha and Bryan as well.”

Reflecting on his partnership with Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, Sesko commented: “We are understanding each other. There is a lot on the training field where we are working a lot. It’s also the way Bryan made a pass [for the winning goal] because he saw that I was running, he saw that I wanted that ball.

“And obviously, with his quality to make a perfect pass because it’s also not easy to do that to put it directly there. That’s what it’s about, to have such quality in the team. Obviously, it looks so easy [to finish], but because you have so much time, many things are on your mind, but I chose one corner, and I went fully for that.”

Sesko has burst out of the blocks in 2026, yet was quick to acknowledge the contribution of Carrick and his backroom team for the tremendous work carried out at Carrington. “Everyone is working for each other and I said many times the coaching staff in general, not just Carrick, but also the others he has beside him are unbelievable,” he said.

“They are working on individuals and you can see that on the pitch. In the end, to win so many games and secure so many points, it’s made out of details and that’s how we get all these points.”

Travis Binnion, formerly Under-21 manager, has proved instrumental in Sesko’s development. “After the trainings, it’s work in the box, on the edge of the box, short contacts because in the Premier League you don’t have time,” he explained.

“This is where it’s really helping me, and not just me, but also the other players. I’m really happy that I can work with [Binnion] because he’s helped me a lot.”

Discussing his mental approach, he added: “The most you can improve is on the pitch because the ball is, in the end, the thing that has to hit the net, and this is where the most work comes out. Obviously, it’s really important when I arrive home to do some work, which is really important for the mental part.”

Speculation had emerged suggesting Sesko had sought advice from Dimitar Berbatov regarding his finishing. Sesko dismissed the claim as untrue, though acknowledged it would be “nice” to speak with him, before once again praising his coaching staff.

“They are doing individual work each day, which is really helping me to focus,” he said. Sesko graciously said “thank you so much” upon receiving congratulations at the outset of his five-minute media chat. “As much as it means to me, it means more to our team to secure the win because it was a really tough game,” he said.

“We were fighting from the start. It was an interesting game, but even though in the end it was quite hard because of the corners, we were fighting and secured the win, which was really, really important.” Sesko is establishing himself as a vital component of this United squad – and his finest seasons lie ahead of him.

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