Šeško's Impact: A Selection Dilemma for Manchester United
Benjamin Šeško has barely kicked a ball this season, but suddenly he’s the striker Michael Carrick might not be able to leave out for the Manchester derby.
On a calm Champions League night at Old Trafford, Sabah FK were little more than willing sparring partners. United cruised to a 4-0 win, barely breaking stride against the champions of Azerbaijan. The real intrigue came from what the game revealed rather than the scoreline itself.
At the centre of it all stood Šeško.
Šeško forces the issue
Back in May, the Slovenian’s season stalled with injury. He missed all of preseason, watched the early weeks of the campaign drift by and sat through the first three Premier League games — Hull City, Ipswich Town, Everton — as a substitute, waiting, watching, itching.
His moment finally came at Hill Dickinson Stadium. A goal there opened the door to a start against Sabah. He kicked it wide open.
Just before half-time at Old Trafford, Šeško darted onto Bryan Mbeumo’s pass, glided around the goalkeeper and rolled in his second goal in five days. It was simple, clinical, the finish of a natural No. 9 who doesn’t need many touches to make his point.
He lasted 63 minutes before Carrick replaced him with Joshua Zirkzee. That change left a question hanging in the air. Was this a player still building his fitness, or a manager protecting his centre-forward for City on Sunday? The answer arrives in the derby.
"It's not an easy decision," Carrick admitted afterwards. "Of course it's not, but it's definitely one I'd prefer to have -- goals in the team and for the boys to be playing well.
"Sometimes it's going to be a start, sometimes it's going to be finishing the game, and we need that within the group from game to game over the season."
What’s undeniable is that Šeško has turned a selection formality into a genuine dilemma.
A crowded frontline
If he starts against Manchester City, someone has to give way. That’s the complication.
- Mbeumo, who set up Šeško here, scored a brilliant solo goal against Everton at the weekend.
- Matheus Cunha got off the mark for the season with United’s opener against Sabah.
- Marcus Rashford didn’t play a minute on Thursday but was United’s standout performer in that draw at Goodison Park.
All three have credit in the bank. All three can point to recent impact. Yet Šeško offers something they don’t.
He pins centre-backs. He plays on the last line. He gives United a genuine target when the ball goes wide, a fixed point in the penalty area rather than a rotating cast of wide forwards drifting inside.
He also grafts. Early in the second half, he tore after a Sabah defender, muscled him off the ball and sparked one of the loudest roars of the night. It wasn’t a goal, but Old Trafford recognised the intent.
"He definitely offers a different kind of threat," Carrick said. "I think that's kind of the beauty of it. That we know what Ben gives us, and there's not many around that give you what Ben does in terms of his physique, his physicality, playing on the last line, his speed to run in behind. He's a real threat.
"It's great to have him back at this level after working to get back to fitness. So, a couple of goals and good performances, good minutes for him. We're really pleased with the way he's gone."
For a coach who craves variety across his front line, Šeško’s timing could hardly be better.
Dream return to the Champions League
Beyond the individual subplot, United’s return to the Champions League unfolded almost exactly as Carrick would have drawn it up.
This was their first game in the competition since 2023, against a club that only came into existence nine years ago. On paper, it had to be routine. On the pitch, it was.
Four goals, a clean sheet, and a performance Carrick described as controlled from first whistle to last.
"It was what we set out to achieve, really," he said. "I think it was a good performance, individually, collectively, pretty much all the way through the game, from start to finish."
Tougher nights are coming. For now, United have banked confidence, rhythm and a striker in form.
Shaw concern clouds the picture
Not every selection issue is as welcome as the one up front.
At left-back, Carrick has a problem he could do without. Luke Shaw started every Premier League game last season, but questions lingered all summer about whether his body could absorb the extra strain of European football. Early signs are worrying.
Shaw came off with cramps in the 2-2 draw at Everton. He then missed Wednesday’s training session at Carrington, officially labelled a "designated rest day." He wasn’t in the squad against Sabah and had Thursday off as well.
If there were a ready-made deputy, it would be a minor concern. There isn’t.
Patrick Dorgu stepped in against Sabah and supplied the assist for Cunha’s opener, but Carrick has largely used him higher up the pitch. Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot can both switch to the left, yet both are more comfortable on the right. Harry Amass is a natural left-back, but at 19, he is still learning the level. A summer move for Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall never materialised.
So, even in early September, Carrick finds himself managing Shaw’s minutes like a precious resource. He will be desperate to have the England defender fit for City, but he may already be calculating where and when he can use him over the months ahead.
Derby countdown
As if the derby needed any extra edge, the schedule has added its own twist. Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City have enjoyed two extra days to prepare. Carrick has already made it clear he’s not thrilled, calling it "wasn't ideal" this week.
At least United go into it on the back of a comfortable European win, not a draining scrap. Confidence restored, legs relatively fresh, goals shared around.
And then there’s Šeško, standing right at the heart of the debate.
He has waited, he has scored, and he has changed the conversation. On Sunday, we find out whether that’s enough to carry him into the biggest game of United’s season so far — and whose place he takes if it is.
