^ ^ Michael Carrick urged to start £62.5m Man Utd star over Benjamin Sesko

Manchester United caretaker boss Michael Carrick (Picture: Getty)

Emile Heskey ‘rates’ Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko but believes Michael Carrick should continue to use the £74m summer signing from the bench.

Sesko has improved his output since Carrick’s appointment as caretaker manager, scoring five goals in his last six matches.

The former RB Leipzig forward only scored two goals in 21 appearances under Ruben Amorim, who was sacked last month.

Many pundits were questioning Manchester United’s £74m deal for Sesko, who was signed to solve the club’s goalscoring issues.

But the Slovenia international has contributed to Carrick’s unbeaten start, scoring injury-time goals in the 3-2 win over Fulham and 1-1 draw with West Ham.

Sesko will hope to continue to impress in Monday’s Premier League clash with Everton but Heskey believes he should remain on the bench, urging Carrick to start Matheus Cunha up front.

‘The centre-forward position is a difficult one for Manchester United at the moment,’ former England striker Heskey told aGamble.

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United summer signing Benjamin Sesko (Picture: Getty)

‘I rate Benjamin Sesko and would like to see him start because he’s a more traditional striker, but then the difficulty is how best to fit in Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo into the first team as well.

‘If I were Michael Carrick, I’d start Cunha up front over the other options. I feel he gives the attack a bit more mobility and he’s started so strongly at the club.

‘He’d be my pick out of the selection of forwards United have at their disposal.’

Matheus Cunha also arrived at Old Trafford last summer (Picture: Getty)

Speaking to OLBG, Heskey added: ‘Can Sesko succeed at Manchester United? I think he’s found it difficult as well, to be honest with you, but I quite like him.

‘He’s scored a couple of goals lately and I quite like him but this is the thing I think all of the players have.

‘Technically he’s very good but when you’re playing in that environment, the pressure of Manchester United is not easy. There’s a certain expectation.

‘I remember moving from Leicester to Liverpool and it was totally different. There’s a must win mentality. You’re not thinking if we win. No. There’s a must.

‘There’s a must win for trophies too. There’s a must win going into every game.’

Manchester United are fourth in the Premier League ahead of Monday’s clash, while Everton are eighth.

Everton beat Amorim’s United 1-0 at Old Trafford in the corresponding fixture despite playing with ten men for the majority of the match.

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^ ^ Harry Redknapp makes bold prediction for crucial Tottenham vs Arsenal derby

Tottenham play host to north London rivals Arsenal (Picture: Getty)

Harry Redknapp has backed his former club Tottenham to dent Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes in the upcoming north London derby.

Leaders and title favourites Arsenal visit arch-rivals Spurs on Sunday, desperate to get back to winning ways following two successive draws.

Mikel Arteta’s side, aiming to win Arsenal’s first Premier League title since 2004, were held to a 1-1 draw by Brentford last week before throwing away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Wolves on Wednesday night.

The Gunners threatened to tun away with the title race just a few weeks ago but a wobble has left Arsenal just five points ahead of second-placed Manchester City.

Arsenal’s lead by the time they face Tottenham will just be two points if Man City beat Newcastle United on Saturday evening.

Tottenham will not only be keen to dent Arsenal’s title hopes but also need the points themselves after slipping to 16th under former manager Thomas Frank.

Spurs’ defeat to Newcastle before last weekend’s FA Cup fixtures left the club just five points above the relegation zone with 12 games remaining.

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New Tottenham interim manager Igor Tudor (Picture: Getty)

That loss was the final straw for the Spurs board who decided to sack ex-Brentford manager Frank and appoint Igor Tudor as Tottenham’s interim manager until the end of the season.

A staggering 29 points and 15 places separate Arsenal and Spurs in the Premier League table but Redknapp nevertheless expects the Gunners to drop more points in Sunday’s derby.

‘This is the big one, and a very hard game to predict it,’ Redknapp, who managed Tottenham between 2008 and 2012, told BetVictor.

Former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp (Picture: Getty)

‘Let’s be honest, who knows what to expect from Spurs. I like Thomas Frank but the performances of late have been really poor and they probably needed a change.

‘Tudor’s come in and he’s got a decent reputation in Italy but how will he get on at Spurs, only time will tell. Talk about an early test for him though!

‘As for Arsenal, who knows what to expect? I cannot believe they blew that game against Wolves, that’s just so unlike them and boy, has that put pressure on this game.

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‘Are those Arsenal lads beginning to feel the pressure? That Spurs crowd should lift the players and make this a closer game that some might expect.

‘I can see a nervy, entertaining draw! Bukayo Saka is one to watch as well, he’s signed a new deal and he’ll want to celebrate in style here.’

Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith expects a more comfortable afternoon for the title-chasing Gunners despite admitting Tudor’s presence provides a bit of uncertainty.

Arsenal beat Tottenham 4-1 back in November (Picture: Getty)

‘None of us quite knows what to expect,’ Smith told BestBettingSites. Igor Tudor seems to be a bit of a firefighter. That’s where he’s had his success at other clubs.

‘He’ll be trying to kick a few backsides, maybe, really rally them, which isn’t easy for a caretaker manager because players will be looking at him thinking, well, you’re not going to be here next season.

‘But if he’s got something about him, maybe he can produce a reaction. And for Arteta, he’s thinking, “oh, how are they going to set up? How are they going to play?”

‘So Tottenham and Tudor are a bit of an unknown quantity from that point of view. That might be something Tudor can take advantage of but I still fancy Arsenal. I’ll do 2-0.’

Eberechi Eze scored a hat-trick as Arsenal thumped Tottenham 4-1 in the north London derby at the Emirates Stadium earlier in the season.

Arteta reminded his Arsenal players that they are ‘exactly where we want to be’ ahead of Sunday’s game despite their recent wobble.

‘We have to live the present,’ Arteta said. ‘What we did in the past is great, but we have to live the present, and the present is beautiful.

‘We are exactly where we want to be in every competition but there is still lots to play, and we need to earn it like we have done in the last seven or eight months.’

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^ ^ Arne Slot hits back at Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney over ‘aura’ claim

Arne Slot responded to Wayne Rooney’s comments (Picture: Getty)

Arne Slot was quick to remind Wayne Rooney of his managerial achievements after the Manchester United legend suggested he lacked the ‘aura’ to be the Liverpool boss.

Slot has seen his role at Anfield come under increasing scrutiny throughout a season in which the Reds have largely flattered to deceive.

Having cruised to the Premier League title in the Dutchman’s first season at the club, Liverpool now sit sixth and in danger of missing out on Champions League football next season.

Rooney recently questioned Slot’s suitability for the Liverpool job, in part because the former United captain believes Slot lacks the charisma of his predecessor Jurgen Klopp.

Speaking on the Overlap, he said: ‘I just don’t think, for Liverpool, he has that aura.

‘Maybe that’s because Liverpool have just come off the back of Jurgen as manager. It’s difficult for anyone to do that, but I just don’t think there is that aura about him.’

But asked about those comments ahead of his side’s trip to face Nottingham Forest, Slot was keen to remind Rooney about the differing success in the dugout.

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Liverpool are in danger of missing out on the top four (Picture: Getty)

Slot won the Premier League in his first season at Anfield (Picture: Getty)

‘Comparing people with each other is something everyone has the right to do, but is that fair to compare people with each other?’ Slot said.

‘We are all different. The only thing we have in common, Jurgen and me, is that we both won the league – and that’s not too bad, is it?

‘I think the more a manager wins, the more aura he has – that’s in general. I don’t know if you agree with Wayne Rooney by the way, but if this would be the general opinion, then I think people would probably tell you last season I had more aura than this season.

‘But maybe he’s the only one who has this opinion, I don’t know, you tell me. It’s the first time that I heard this, but I think it’s fair to say that Jurgen definitely has an aura.

‘I can talk about him, not about myself, but he definitely had that [aura]. But, a winning manager has an aura as well.’

Rooney has been out of management since being sacked by Plymouth Argyle in December 2024 after a start to the season which yielded only five wins from 25 matches.

Prior to that, the 40-year-old had mixed stints at Derby County and DC United before an ill-fated 15-match spell in charge of Birmingham City.

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^ ^ Chelsea vs Burnley: Predicted lineup today and confirmed team news

The Blues host Burnley in west London today (Picture: Getty/Metro)

Chelsea will be missing a key figure in defence when they host Burnley at Stamford Bridge this afternoon.

Marc Cucurella was forced off at half-time in the 2-2 draw with Leeds United on 10 February with a hamstring injury, also sitting out of the comfortable FA Cup victory over Hull City last Friday.

Jorrel Hato has stepped into replace the Spain international and will hope to be given the nod again for the visit of the Clarets.

Trevoh Chalobah, Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro were among those rested against Hull with all four expected to return to the starting XI today.

With no midweek game to follow, Liam Rosenior doesn’t have to worry too much about rotation ahead of a huge clash at home to Arsenal next weekend.

Romeo Lavia is back in training and is expected to play for the Under-21 side when they take on Leeds on Friday.

Providing all goes well, it could leave him in contention to make his first-team return next week against the Gunners.

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Jamie Gittens and Dario Essugo remain sidelined along with long-term absentee Levi Colwill.

Chelsea XI to face Burnley – Metro prediction

Liam Delap and Alejandro Garnacho were among those who started against Hull last week and could drop out of the side today.

Pedro Neto scored a fine hat-trick that evening and will hope to keep his place in the side, although Rosenior has favoured Fernandez in a more advanced role in recent weeks with Moises Caicedo and Andrey Santos emerging as a preferred central midfield pairing.

Chelsea vs Burnley TV channel, live stream and kick-off time

Chelsea vs Burnley kicks off at 3pm today (Saturday 21 February).

Given that kick-off time, the match will not be available to watch live in the UK.

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