Šeško's Impact: Manchester United's Selection Dilemma Ahead of Derby

MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United eased back into the UEFA Champions League on Thursday night, but Michael Carrick walked away from a 4-0 win over Sabah FK with a very modern problem: what on earth does he do with Benjamin Šeško before the Manchester derby?

The Slovenian striker has gone from afterthought to argument in the space of five days.

Šeško’s timely surge

Injured in early May, Šeško missed the entire preseason. He watched the first three Premier League games — against Hull City, Ipswich Town and Everton — from the bench, stuck behind sharper, fitter forwards and a summer of frustration.

That patience is starting to look dangerous.

A goal at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday finally opened his account and earned him a start against the champions of Azerbaijan at Old Trafford. He did not waste it. Late in the first half, he latched onto Bryan Mbeumo’s pass, glided around the goalkeeper and rolled in his second goal in five days, a finish that oozed the calm of a player who knows his timing is perfect.

Šeško lasted 63 minutes before Carrick replaced him with Joshua Zirkzee. It might be a sign that the 23-year-old is still short of full fitness. It might be that his manager wants those legs fresh for City. The real answer arrives on Sunday.

"It's not an easy decision," Carrick admitted. "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 clear is this: Šeško has forced his way into the conversation for the derby.

A selection puzzle up front

If Šeško feels he has done enough to start against City, he has a point. The problem is who steps aside.

Mbeumo, who set him up against Sabah, scored a brilliant solo goal at Everton. Matheus Cunha got his first of the season in this 4-0 win. Marcus Rashford, rested entirely on Thursday, was United’s standout performer last weekend. To start Šeško at the Etihad, one of them has to come out.

His advantage is obvious. He offers something the others don’t. Rashford, Cunha and Mbeumo all prefer to drift, to attack from angles, to play between the lines. Šeško plants himself as a true No. 9, a fixed point for United to aim at when the ball goes wide, a target for crosses and cut-backs.

He doesn’t just wait in the box, either. Early in the second half, he tore after a Sabah defender, bullied him off the ball and won possession. The roar that followed from Old Trafford was almost as loud as the one for his goal. Supporters recognise work as quickly as they recognise talent.

"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."

United suddenly have variety in attack. Carrick now has to decide which version of his forward line he trusts most in the white heat of a derby.

A smooth return to Europe, a rougher road for Shaw

United’s first night back in the Champions League since 2023 could hardly have been more straightforward. Sabah, a club only nine years old, were pulled apart. Four goals, a clean sheet, and a sense that this competition might feel like home again.

"It was what we set out to achieve, really," Carrick said. "I think it was a good performance, individually, collectively, pretty much all the way through the game, from start to finish."

Yet as one problem up front looks like a luxury, another at the back is far less welcome.

Luke Shaw started every Premier League game last season, but the question over the summer was simple: could his body handle the extra European load? The early evidence is brutal.

He came off in the 2-2 draw with Everton on Sunday with cramps. He missed training at Carrington on Wednesday, officially given a "designated rest day." He wasn’t in the squad against Sabah and had Thursday off as well. None of that would matter much if there were a clear, trusted deputy at left-back.

There isn’t.

Patrick Dorgu, who covered the position and set up Cunha’s opener, has largely been used as a winger under Carrick. Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot can both fill in on the left but are far more comfortable on the right. Harry Amass is a natural in the role but only 19. A summer move for Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall never materialised.

Barely into September, Carrick already looks like he has to ration Shaw’s minutes, picking his fixtures carefully and hoping the England defender is fit enough to face City.

Derby on the horizon

The task on Sunday is not helped by the schedule. Enzo Maresca’s side have been handed two extra days to prepare, a gap Carrick has already described as "wasn't ideal."

Still, the week has ended with more clarity than it began. United are back in the Champions League and winning. Šeško is scoring and snarling again. The crowd has a new centre-forward to argue about.

Now Carrick has to decide: does he ride the form of the man in possession, or trust the names who carried him to the derby in the first place?