Owen agrees with Carrick’s decision to bench INEOS signing who ‘isn’t good enough’ to start

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Utd Report

·15 September 2026

Owen agrees with Carrick’s decision to bench INEOS signing who ‘isn’t good enough’ to start

Michael Owen believes Benjamin Sesko has yet to reach the required level to lead Manchester United’s attack.

The Red Devils splashed circa £75 million to sign the Slovenian striker from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2025.

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The 23-year-old’s arrival completed the attacking revamp, as he joined Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo in Ruben Amorim’s new-look attack.

Michael Owen believes Man Utd need a better striker than Benjamin Sesko

(Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

After struggling with an injury all summer, Sesko has yet to start a Premier League game this season. His only start came in the 4-0 victory over Sabah in last Thursday’s Champions League contest.

In Sunday’s derby, Michael Carrick entrusted Cunha with the centre-forward role, supported by Mbeumo and Marcus Rashford on the flanks.

On the other hand, Sesko remained on the bench before coming on in the 67th minute following Erling Haaland’s controversial opener. However, his introduction didn’t change the result, as Manchester City went on to claim the win despite their numerical disadvantage.

(Sesko’s stats vs Man City via FotMob)

While some fans and pundits argued that Sesko should have been introduced earlier, perhaps at the interval, Owen feels Carrick made the right choice as this front, as he doesn’t see the Slovenian as an elite striker capable of changing the outcome of the game.

“There’s so many different [attacking] options, which is a nice thing for Manchester United,” noted the former Liverpool and MUFC star in his interview with Metro.

“I think Sesko still needs to develop more as a player to be the real deal. Surely Manchester United have aspirations of being the best team in the country again and winning the Premier League. For them to do that, I would suggest that they need a centre-forward that is one of the best in the world.

“Is Sesko one of the ten best centre-forwards in the world? No, I don’t think he is.”

“How do you get him there? Well, maybe you play him a bit more and give him more experience. Maybe that is the way forward.

“But as things stand now, if I was picking the team on Sunday, I would have done exactly the same as Michael Carrick. I don’t think he’ll be having sleepless nights.”

Owen argued that Sesko’s current level is fitting for a squad player who either comes off the bench to make an impact or replace an injured teammate.

“I think Sesko is a great impact player. I’ve got no problems if one of them got injured and he started. He’s scored goals from starting and from coming off the bench.

“He’s a good player to have in your squad, but I don’t think there should be a massive clamour all of a sudden just because they didn’t score a goal in the game. They scored five goals against Ipswich not so long ago.”

Is Owen’s Sesko assessment fair?

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Based on some of the most recent experiences, playing as a centre-forward for Man Utd can be a complicated task. Compared with the likes of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, Sesko has fared decently thus far.

Last season, the 23-year-old scored crucial goals for United, especially during the second half of the season when Carrick took over.

While Owen is right to say that Sesko is far from a finished article, he has showcased enough promise for the manager and the fanbase to back him.

Perhaps Man Utd should have paired him with a more experienced No.9 who can carry some of the load, but Zirkee’s failure to seal a move away impeded INEOS’ ability to manoeuvre on the market.