'It's connected' - Ruben Amorim explains why Benjamin Sesko has not started a Premier League game for Man Utd and reveals why £74m striker took 10th penalty vs Grimsby

When United completed the signing of Sesko from RB Leizig for a whopping €75 million (£65m/$85.5m) earlier in the transfer window, many fans would have expected him to play a key role after his acquisition. However, manager Ruben Amorim is yet to deploy the Slovenian forward in his starting lineup in the Premier League.

Sesko, who played full the full 120 minutes in their Carabao Cup loss to Grimsby Town earlier this week, and took their 10th penalty of a mammoth shootout in what many would deem an abdication of responsibility, was once again benched in their 3-2 win over Burnley, as he missed out on a start for the third consecutive league match. 

Explaining his decision to keep Sesko on the bench from the start in the league, Amorim said: "But generally I think it's connected. So he finished the game with cramps, really in the limit. That's why we protected Ben from the penalties. And today was that reason also, because Sesko is also a striker, he's an international striker. But I was thinking that Ben, during the pre-season, he didn't do 90 minutes. And he did that, even against a 4 division team, he did that on Wednesday. 

"And with the problem of Cunha, you don't know if that full game in the middle of the week has something to do with the injury today. With the problem with Mason Mount, I was not risking another player, not knowing if they are able to play so many minutes. So everything was connected. The penalty, the game on Wednesday, and the number of minutes that I was thinking to put Ben today."

The Red Devils will return to action after the international break as they face rivals Manchester City at Ethad Stadium on September 14.