Michael Carrick told to start Man Utd star against Man City after latest performance

Former Manchester United star Jaap Stam has urged Michael Carrick to start Benjamin Sesko against Manchester City on Sunday.

Sesko averaged a goal every 85 minutes under Carrick last season but was often used off the bench.

He was left out of the starting XI for United’s first three games of the new Premier League season, still working his way back to full fitness having missed the entire pre-season recovering from a shin injury suffered last term.

The Slovenia international proved his worth off the bench again against Everton last Sunday, heading home what looked to be the winning goal before Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ dramatic equaliser.

The former RB Leipzig star started on Thursday night as United marked their return to the Champions League with a 4-0 victory over Sabah. Sesko was on the scoresheet just before half-time, coolly rounding the goalkeeper before slotting into an empty net.

Carrick now faces a huge decision over who to start on Sunday when City come to town for the first derby of the season.

Matheus Cunha has started through the middle so far this term with Bryan Mbeumo also an option.

But Stam is eager to see Sesko rewarded with another start.

‘I think Sesko is a very good player and he scored a great header on Sunday against Everton,’ Stam told Betfred.

‘I’d like to see him play because that goal gives him confidence and I think when he’s playing, the team knows exactly what they need to do by getting the ball into the box and allowing him to be a threat.

‘I would like to see him play on Sunday so he can get more minutes to prove himself even more.’

City head into their first derby without Pep Guardiola at the helm in a decade, picking up three points from three under Enzo Maresca.

‘I think everybody’s still looking up to City quality wise and I know they look different now under Enzo Maresca, but the players have responded well to their new manager and he’s done very well to win his first three league games and that brings confidence to this team,’ Stam said.

‘They’ve brought in a lot of quality in the midfield and up front and at the back they have a lot of quality too, so it’s going to be tough for Manchester United on Sunday but it’s going to be interesting to see what City can do this season.’