Where is Benjamin Sesko? Manchester United's Striker Dilemma
Manchester United’s season is only three games old, but already one question is hanging over Old Trafford: where is Benjamin Sesko?
The Slovenian striker has yet to start a match for United this campaign, his progress stalled by a shin injury that wiped out his entire pre-season. While he recovered, Michael Carrick turned to Matheus Cunha as his central option against Hull City, Ipswich Town and Everton.
It hasn’t quite worked.
A Blunt Centre in an Otherwise Lively Attack
Out wide, United look alive. Bryan Mbuemo has hit the ground running. Marcus Rashford, too, has started brightly, stretching defences and offering a constant outlet.
Through the middle, though, there’s a void.
Cunha, signed from Wolves last year, has long been more comfortable drifting off the left or operating between the lines. Asked to lead the line, he looks like exactly what he is: a talented forward being asked to play a role that doesn’t quite fit. The result is a United attack that moves nicely in the channels but lacks a true cutting edge where it matters most.
Sesko briefly reminded everyone what that edge looks like.
Against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, he rose to meet a Luke Shaw cross and powered in a superb header, the kind of centre-forward’s goal United have been missing. It should have been the winner. Instead, Ainsley Maitland-Niles struck late to deny United all three points and turn a much-needed victory into another nagging frustration.
Scholes Unimpressed: “Timid” and Toothless
That draw did not sit well with Paul Scholes.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad, and The Football, the former United midfielder did not hold back as he dissected Carrick’s approach and, in particular, the decision to persist without a recognised number nine.
“I felt it was really timid against Everton,” Scholes said. “There was no aggression and Everton were there for the taking. There was so much space and they never went for the throat.”
He went straight to the heart of the issue: team selection.
“The centre forward position is a bit of an issue because he is not playing Sesko,” he continued. “He is a focal point. It is very difficult to watch a Manchester United team without a centre forward. With Cunha, we don’t really know what he is, a No.10 or a wide player but he’s definitely not a No.9 and watching United without a No.9 is a struggle.”
Scholes’ words cut through the noise. This isn’t a debate about systems or subtle tweaks. It’s about identity. A Manchester United side without a proper striker simply doesn’t look like Manchester United.
Carrick Under Pressure as City Loom
The timing of this mini-crisis could hardly be worse for Carrick.
United have taken just four points from a possible nine in their opening three league fixtures. Not disastrous, but hardly convincing. Across town, Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City have started like a machine, three wins from three, a flawless domestic record and an ominous air of control.
City arrive at Old Trafford in dominant form. United, by contrast, still look like they’re searching for their best version of themselves.
This is where Sesko comes back into focus. Last season, under Carrick, he delivered a goal every 85 minutes – a ruthless strike rate that screams “pick me” in a team crying out for a focal point. He offers height, presence, penalty-box instinct. He offers exactly what Scholes and the fanbase are demanding.
If United are serious about halting City’s early momentum, the logic is simple: they need their goalscorer on the pitch, not easing back on the bench.
European Stage, Derby Trial
Before the derby, though, comes Europe.
On Thursday night, Old Trafford hosts Azerbaijani side Sabah FK in the Champions League. On paper, it’s a fixture United should control. In reality, it looks like something else entirely: a live audition.
For Sesko, this could be the perfect launchpad. Minutes, rhythm, sharpness – all the things his lost pre-season denied him – are there for the taking. A strong performance, another goal, the kind of commanding display that reminds everyone of last year’s numbers, and Carrick’s decision for Sunday becomes harder to dodge.
Does he stick with the fluid, striker-less shape that has left United looking blunt? Or does he restore the classic No.9 and accept that this team needs a focal point to truly function?
The derby will give the answer. But Thursday night might decide it.
