Gary Neville speaking after Manchester United’s win at Everton (Image: Sky Sports)
Gary Neville has called on Michael Carrick to drop Amad Diallo and give Benjamin Sesko a place in the starting line-up for Manchester United‘s next Premier League clash against Crystal Palace on Sunday. The 23-year-old Sesko has been building a strong argument for inclusion in recent weeks after his decisive goal in a 3-2 victory over Fulham and his equaliser during a 1-1 stalemate at West Ham earlier this month. Despite this, Carrick chose to keep Sesko on the bench for Monday’s trip to Everton, instead selecting Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo in his attacking trio.
Yet Sesko, for the third occasion in four matches, scored after coming on in the second half when he netted a 71st-minute winner to deliver United a 1-0 win at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The Slovenian completed a rapid counter-attack from the Reds and fired home a first-time finish into the bottom corner after Mbeumo’s unselfish pass across the box.
Given Sesko’s impressive recent performances, he has put himself in a strong position to earn his first start under Carrick for Sunday’s Premier League fixture at home against Palace. Neville reckons that Sesko has now proven he warrants a starting berth, with the former United defender suggesting that Amad should be sacrificed to accommodate the ex-RB Leipzig forward.
“For Sesko now, I think he starts on Sunday against Crystal Palace,” Neville told Sky Sports. “I haven’t always been convinced about him this season, but what you have to do is move with what you see.
“I think there is a moment now where United have struggled in the last couple of games against West Ham and Everton; he looks like he is growing in his game and in his body, he looks like he has more power in his performance, his confidence is high. I think now on Sunday Michael Carrick starts him.
“Just feeling how Michael would look at that, I think it would kill the lad if he didn’t start. I think what you’ll see on Sunday is Cunha to the left, Mbeumo to the right, Sesko up top and Bruno in behind. I think Amad will just slip out for a game, he has been really good but I think Sesko starts.”
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick celebrates with Benjamin Sesko at full time (Image: Getty)
Having slotted the ball past Jordan Pickford, Sesko’s celebration appeared to radiate raw intensity and excitement as he swaggered towards the jubilant United faithful packed into the corner of the ground.
“That celebration was a message to everybody, mainly those Manchester United fans over in the corner that were going wild,” Neville said. “But that was a message to say, ‘get me in this damn team now, I start next time’.
“I think he will have been really disappointed, having scored against West Ham, which was a wonderful goal, not to be in that team today. You say he had a difficult time under Ruben Amorim, absolutely! But Michael Carrick has not started him yet in any game. So, he is obviously preferring other players it’s fair to say.
“However, what he has now done in these three games; the winner against Fulham, the West Ham goal which was a big goal to get a point out of a game where United didn’t play well, and then today with a winner where United haven’t played well.”
Sesko has now netted eight times in 24 appearances for United since his £74million switch from Leipzig last summer. He is, nonetheless, beginning to find his stride, having found the back of the net three times in his last four outings.
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