Super-sub Sesko secures Man Utd victory at Everton
Michael Carrick offered an insightful perspective on Benjamin Sesko's adaptation to life at Manchester United.
"He is growing as a player," said United's head coach. "Sometimes it's big steps, sometimes it's little steps. He has taken some huge ones recently.
"The confidence and belief he is playing with is great to see."
Sesko's significant progress in United's recent two matches has positioned the club strongly to secure a return to the Champions League after a two-year absence.
Without the Slovenian's impactful contributions off the bench, United would have suffered defeat at West Ham on 10 February and drawn with Everton on Monday during their first visit to Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Sesko's goals have placed Carrick's squad firmly in fourth place, three points behind Aston Villa and three points ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool.
While his volley at West Ham was noted for its aesthetic quality, his latest goal in Monday's 1-0 victory combined endurance—running 70 yards at top speed after laying off a pass to Matheus Cunha—and composure to calmly finish Bryan Mbeumo's square pass.
"It was a great finish, a ruthless finish," said Carrick. "I like the way he put it away with real confidence."
Watching the match for Sky Sports, former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher praised the goal.
"Sesko has gone over 80 yards and then finishes," Carragher remarked. "You expect him to be breathing heavily and panting after that. But no, he still has the energy to really celebrate."
Sesko's goal tally for the season has now reached eight.
Remarkably, he scored only twice under Ruben Amorim, who signed him from RB Leipzig for £73.7 million in August 2025.
Currently, Sesko has netted six goals in his last seven games, beginning with three goals in two matches while Darren Fletcher was interim manager following Amorim's dismissal in early January.
This scoring form has led many to believe Sesko is unlucky not to have started any of the six games under Carrick's management.
Carrick acknowledges the discussion but does not consider it particularly critical.
"I get why everyone is talking about it and making a big deal of it, but it is not always as extreme," he said.
"I have got a really good relationship with Ben. We have had some good conversations, and he is in a good place.
"He obviously wants to play, but we have got some good forwards and I can't speak highly enough of how he has been."
For Sesko, the focus remains on delivering when called upon, and he is confident in his ability to do so.
"I believe in me and so do the other players," Sesko told Sky Sports.
"They know what they are going to get when I arrive in the game. Whether that is five minutes or 90 minutes, it doesn't really matter. It's about showing I can deliver if I possibly can and I'm really happy with that."
Sesko comes off bench to score Man Utd winner at Everton
'I'm not Schmeichel in disguise - I am just Senne Lammens'
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'Brilliant' Lammens earns Van der Sar comparisons
While Sesko delivered the decisive goal for Manchester United, another summer signing, goalkeeper Senne Lammens, made a significant impact at the other end of the pitch.
The Belgian goalkeeper denied a powerful shot from Michael Keane, which Everton manager David Moyes believed was destined to score, and expertly managed a series of corners that Everton launched in an attempt to equalize.
"Their goalie was brilliant tonight," Moyes stated bluntly.
"The save he made from Michael, the way he dealt with corner kicks. The pressure we had. For me, their goalkeeper was the best player."
Carrick benefits from this performance, as does the club's recruitment strategy, which rejected Ruben Amorim's attempts to sign Emi Martinez from Aston Villa on the summer transfer deadline day, instead investing £18.1 million in a young goalkeeper with only one full season of senior football experience in Belgium.
Following the Everton match, it was noted that Carrick's former United teammate and legendary goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was analyzing the game alongside Jamie Carragher on television.
Carrick cautiously addressed potential comparisons between Lammens and Van der Sar.
"I've got to be careful what I say," he commented.
"I don't want to be comparing them because I don't think it's fair to Senne. But there's definitely similarities.
"You want a goalkeeper to be reliable and trustworthy. Instead of creating a chaos, you want him to take the chaos away and calm things down. I think Senne is that.
"He's quite quiet at times and unassuming, but he's got real steel. It's a big role for some, and it's about being comfortable in your environment.
"Sometimes it takes time, sometimes not, but he has that calmness and composure. It helps those in front of him an awful lot."
At the start of the season, Manchester United's primary goal was to return to European competition.
Even internally, the club considered qualifying for the Europa League as the most realistic objective, with financial planning based on that assumption.
However, after Amorim's departure, director of football Jason Wilcox spoke to the players about aiming for the Champions League.
The difference in prestige and financial rewards between the competitions is substantial.
United have now gone 10 consecutive Premier League games without defeat for the first time since a 14-game run between January and May 2021 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Given their current standing and absence of European fixtures—unlike Aston Villa, Chelsea, and Liverpool—it would be a significant disappointment if United fail to secure a place in Europe's premier club competition.
"Manchester United are now virtually guarantees for one of the Champions League places," said Carragher. "I can't see them not making it."
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