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Worse than Sesko: No one is talking about how bad £57m Man Utd man has been

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Published Oct 8, 2026, 7:12 AM GMT+1

Robbie is the Assistant Editor at Football FanCast, specialising in football analysis, transfer coverage and feature writing, with particular expertise in Manchester United, Celtic, Rangers and the wider Premier League and Scottish football.

A sports journalist since graduating from the University of Exeter in 2020, Robbie has spent more than six years covering professional football across the Premier League, EFL, SPFL and European competitions. His career has included news and feature work for 90min and more than a year covering the Premier League and Manchester United in particular at Football Faithful.

Robbie joined Football FanCast through the site's academy programme in 2022, progressing to the Exclusives team before becoming Assistant Editor in October 2023. His work combines original reporting, transfer insight, football analysis and informed feature writing, with a particular focus on understanding the context behind the latest news and what developments mean for clubs, managers and players.

He has developed extensive knowledge of Manchester United, Celtic and Rangers through regular coverage, while also bringing a broad understanding of the Premier League, EFL and Scottish football. His experience covering the game extends beyond the page, with a long-standing connection to Wycombe Wanderers that has seen him attend home and away matches for more than two decades.

Through his reporting and analysis, Robbie provides readers with credible football insight, informed transfer assessment and detailed coverage that goes beyond the headline, drawing on years of experience following clubs and competitions at close range.

With most of Manchester United's forward line involved in World Cup action over the summer, it felt like the perfect time for Benjamin Sesko to really make his mark across pre-season under Michael Carrick.

As it happened, the Slovenian was absent from all of United's friendlies in the end, epitomising what has been a stop-start, injury-hit stint at Old Trafford thus far.

There's a player in there, undoubtedly, but Carrick needs the 23-year-old to start firing sooner rather than later. He's not the only, either.

Assessing Sesko's season so far at Man Utd

A purple patch in early 2026 was ultimately cut short due to injury at the end of last season, with that shin issue seemingly plaguing the former RB Leipzig man again of late.

He has scored twice in all competitions, although he was notably absent from the trip to Craven Cottage before the international break, subsequently withdrawing from Slovenia duty as a result.

Injured or not, Sesko had also drawn the ire of the home crowd in the desperate defeat at home to Brighton and Hove Albion, not least when squandering a potential breakaway after dawdling on the ball in the second half.

He lost the ball 12 times from just 23 touches that night, including in the build-up to Brighton's opener, having failed to kick on from a solid, yet unspectacular debut campaign in Manchester.

Can he ever be United's leading striker?

Why Sesko shouldn't be written off just yet

It's hard not to shake the Rasmus Hojlund comparisons, yet those have been written about chapter and verse.

Equally too, it must be said that Sesko already looks set to boast a far better record in a United shirt than the Dane, with Hojlund netting just 26 goals in 95 games in all competitions.

As for his successor, United's number 30 already has 14 in just 38 appearances, 17 of which have come from the bench, with the £66.4m signing certainly proving a game-changer when he wants to be.

His goal away at Everton this season, for instance, was a proper centre-forward's header, while he also showed real pace and composure when rounding the goalkeeper against Sabah.

He merely needs to stay injury-free and enjoy a consistent run of game time, with his United journey still in its infancy.

For others, however, they could be reaching 'time's up' territory.

Why £57m Man Utd man deserves more scrutiny

Much has been made of the forward line, and the return of Marcus Rashford, with there no question that Carrick's men haven't found their groove as yet this season.

And yet, the bigger concern should surely be the backline, with the same old faces enduring the same old problems in the early weeks of the campaign.

United, for the most part, looked solid and secure following Carrick's return to the dugout in January, yet that has been washed away somewhat of late.

Central to that has been Lisandro Martinez, the £57m man one of the key culprits in a backline that has arguably outstayed its welcome in Manchester.

Looking to the draw with Fulham, for instance, the back five, including Senne Lammens, had been assembled across five different managerial tenures, with it notably the same starting back four that wilted away at Brentford four years ago.

Man Utd XI vs Fulham

Player

Signed By

GK - Lammens	Amorim
RB - Dalot	Mourinho
CB - Maguire	Solskjaer
CB - Martinez	Ten Hag
LB - Shaw	Van Gaal
CM - Mainoo	Academy (Ten Hag)
CM - Tielemans	Carrick
RM - Mbeumo	Amorim
AM - Fernandes	Solskjaer
LM - Rashford	Academy (Van Gaal)
CF - Cunha	Amorim

Lessons haven't been learned since then, with United still paying the price, ensuring figures like Martinez may well be in the crosshairs heading into next summer's expected defensive overhaul.

At his best, Martinez is a ferocious, full-blooded defender, one who can also split a defence or midfield with a punchy, threaded pass. He is a World Cup winner, no less.

There's plenty to like about the Argentine, having struck up a fine partnership with Harry Maguire last season. And yet, too often he finds himself at the scene of the crime.

Fingers are so often pointed at the likes of Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot, but Martinez has been just as culpable as anyone this season, cult figure or not.

It ultimately didn't prove costly, yet the 28-year-old turned into trouble late on against Ipswich Town, having also guided the ball past Lammens in almost comical fashion at Craven Cottage.

His ability to stay injury-free has often been used as the stick to beat Martinez with, but perhaps now, amid his error-strewn performances, he should be coming under the microscope just as much as the rest of the backline does.

Out of contract next summer, INEOS have a decision to make when it comes to the former Ajax man, with there a sense that the Red Devils will never really kick on unless this long-serving defensive unit is ripped up.

Of course, relatively recent signings like Sesko still deserve another season to impress, but in Martinez's case, the 2022 arrival has had more than enough opportunities in a United jersey.

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