Worse than Sesko: £105k-per-week dud should never play for Man Utd again
“You’ll never win anything with kids” was Alan Hansen’s immortal line all those years ago, yet once again, Manchester United did just that in Friday’s hard-fought victory over Newcastle United.
Despite ending the night with a makeshift lineup that would hardly have been imagined mere weeks ago, the likes of Ayden Heaven, Jack Fletcher and Patrick Dorgu held firm to steer the hosts to a vital 1-0 win at Old Trafford.
Without so many key individuals, namely skipper Bruno Fernandes, United boss Ruben Amorim shuffled his pack again in the early knockings, with that man Dorgu the notable beneficiary as the newly-installed right winger lashed home a stunner inside the first half.
That initial promise swiftly faded following Mason Mount’s unfortunate withdrawal at the break, yet by hook or by crook, the home side held on, edging their way back up to fifth ahead of next week’s meeting with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Three points will ultimately be all that matters for Amorim and his staff, but it’s fair to say it wasn’t an overwhelmingly positive night for the men in either dugout – nor was it for summer signing, Benjamin Sesko.
Sesko's game in numbers vs Newcastle
There were signs of life in the weekend defeat to Aston Villa, with Sesko coming close to notching a third goal of the campaign, only to be denied by the onrushing Emi Martinez in the home goal.
The Slovenian striker again came within a whisker of scoring this time around, pouncing on a loose ball just before the hour mark, before lashing his effort off the crossbar with opposition stopper Aaron Ramsdale left looking helpless.
Perhaps, like most watching on, the 22-year-old thought he was in an offside position, although there appeared to be a lack of real intent to burst into the box to score, albeit while ultimately hitting the woodwork.
As it was, following another difficult night in which the ex-RB Leipig man also fired wide on the turn early on, it was no surprise when Sesko was hooked soon after his crossbar attempt, having largely looked like a bystander to proceedings when leading the line.
Indeed, in all, the new man registered just 24 touches, made only nine passes and won just a solitary duel, as per Sofascore, with Amorim seemingly in need of more in the absence of a string of other attackers, including Bryan Mbeumo and Amad.
That being said, patience will still have to be directed toward Sesko, considering he is still a matter of months into his Old Trafford journey, with a consistent run of games no doubt needed after his recent injury absence.
Time, while rarely afforded to anyone in Manchester, is on his side; the same certainly can’t be said of his fellow forward, Joshua Zirkzee.
The Man Utd star who shouldn't play again
As already stated, the dearth of attacking options at present has left Amorim turning to those on the periphery to step up, with Dorgu no doubt doing just that in his new-look role on the right flank.
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This spell of AFCON and injury absences has allowed the likes of Dorgu to seize their chance, with the aforementioned Heaven also looking so assured yet again, while Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt watched on from the stands.
Both youngsters seized the moment, although that man Zirkzee no doubt fell short, having arguably been even worse than Sesko at a time when United were crying out for an attacking figurehead.
Service was limited up to the 6 foot 4 Dutchman, although he made little stick when it did come his way, losing the ball five times from his 13 touches, while registering only four passes in total.
In a similar vein to Sesko before him, there appeared to be a real lack of urgency and desire to get into the game from Zirkzee, with the 24-year-old merely watching on as the game passed him by.
Sesko vs Zirkzee – Newcastle
Stat
Sesko
Zirkzee
Minutes
60
30
Touches
24
13
Pass accuracy
9/10
4/4
Possession lost
5
5
Dribbles
0/1
0/1
Key passes
0
0
Total duels won
1/6
1/7
Shots
2
0
Stats via Sofascore
Of course, his introduction came with the home side hanging on for dear life, camped outside their own box, yet Zirkzee did little to shift the momentum, winning only one of his seven duels, while failing to complete a successful dribble.
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It was the same stage, almost exactly a year ago, which saw the former Bologna man withdrawn after just 30 minutes of play against the same opposition, with Friday’s cameo perhaps the final nail in the coffin for his Old Trafford career.
61 games played, just eight goals scored – only four of which have come in the Premier League. That record simply isn’t good enough, and with reports that Roma are ready to strike a deal heading into January, United and INEOS surely shouldn’t stand in his way.
Yes, attacking alternatives are limited, but the Red Devils might well be better off turning to the academy than continuing to utilise this £105k-per-week struggler.
With that potential return to Italy on the cards, it would be no real shock if Zirkzee did not feature under Amorim again.
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