Michael Carrick has been urged to keep the ‘raw’ Benjamin Sesko on the bench for Manchester United’s clash with Tottenham despite his late winner last weekend.
Sesko came off the bench to spark jubilant scenes at Old Trafford when he scored an injury-time winner to secure a 3-2 win for United against Fulham.
The striker, signed for a hefty fee over the summer, has struggled for minutes since Carrick’s arrival, playing just 27 minutes in his first three games in the dugout.
Carrick has instead preferred to use Bryan Mbeumo as his central striker, who was on target in the wins over Manchester City and Arsenal.
But Sesko’s impact off the bench against Fulham has led to some calls for the 22-year-old to be given more minutes, with Gary Neville suggesting that the striker’s late winner could be a springboard to finally kickstart his Old Trafford career.
United host Tottenham on Saturday, but former Red Devils defender Danny Simpson believes Sesko is still best used as an impact player off the bench, especially when compared to his more polished attacking teammates.
‘I feel like everyone at the club, the players, his teammates, the fans, the coaching staff, it’s like they all scored because they obviously want him to have a big moment like that, and I hope that will kickstart his Man United career now,’ Simpson told Metro via Kiwislots.nz when asked about Sesko.
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‘But because he’s still young and raw, I still think coming off the bench 20, 30 minutes is probably good for him at the moment.
‘I still believe that the front four, the pace, the relationship they are building up, I still think Sesko coming off the bench is where he is at, and hopefully he can keep doing that and making an impact off the bench.
‘There’s nothing wrong with that, by the way. Some of our best strikers used to do that, obviously. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer used to do that, so I think at the moment it’s nice that there’s no pressure on him.
‘He just comes on and gives his best for the 20, 30 minutes that he plays.’
On Carrick’s impressive use of subs, Simpson added: ‘Last week he brings Cunha on, he scored the winner, then against Fulham he brought on Sesko, he scored the winner.
‘I think that’s always been Man Utd’s DNA as well. People coming off the bench and having an impact, and getting a point or getting a winner.
‘For me, that’s the encouraging thing. Even at 2-2 normally, all the lads would get their heads down and go, ‘oh God’. They didn’t, they kept going, and that’s what I think I’ve liked about this team.’
United are looking to make it four wins in a row under Carrick on Saturday, but have a torrid recent record against Spurs, having failed to win any of the last six league encounters between the two sides.
But Simpson is confident his former side will put those demons to bed and continue their remarkable start to life under Carrick.
‘Tottenham’s away form is actually pretty good so you can’t take this game lightly,’ he said.
‘Whatever it is at Tottenham, they clearly feel better playing away from home. Maybe less pressure from the fans, so it will be a tough game.
‘But I’m actually really confident. I’d probably just go with a nice, safe 2-0 win for United, and just hopefully keep pushing.
‘They’ve still got a massive chance to get in the Champions League, which is what the club needs for the finances for everybody.’
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