'It's odd!' - Gary Lineker blasts Michael Carrick's bizarre treatment of Man Utd star as slump continues

Manchester United suffered a bitter derby defeat to ten-man Manchester City at Old Trafford, with Erling Haaland netting a controversial winner. However, the post-match focus has rapidly shifted towards Michael Carrick's tactical choices. The United boss opted to leave in-form striker Sesko on the bench, introducing him only after City took the lead in the 67th minute.

Sesko concluded the previous campaign with ten goals in 15 appearances and scored against both Everton and Sabah recently. Despite this strong run, the 23-year-old has been restricted to substitute cameos across all four Premier League matches this term.

Instead, Carrick has preferred Cunha in a false-nine position. The Brazilian is yet to open his account for the season and has largely struggled to make an impact, leaving pundits baffled by the continued exclusion of a recognised focal point.

Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, former England striker Gary Lineker expressed his concern over United's toothless attack. He noted that while the hosts created a few openings, the lack of a natural striker was glaring.

"Up top... they look like they’re lacking. They’ve got Sesko on the bench," Lineker said. "It’s odd, he comes on and he has scored in games but you wonder why he’s not getting a starting place. Obviously they’ve got Cunha, he’s more of a ten than a nine, [Bryan] Mbeumo plays mostly off the right, obviously [Marcus] Rashford is on the left."

Lineker argued that Carrick waited far too long to introduce his key goalscorer. He added: "You kept looking at it and thinking, 'If you get someone up top... are you going to bring the big man on?', and he did come on a bit late."

Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer echoed those sentiments, insisting Sesko should have been introduced much earlier to alter the game's momentum. "He could have given him more time, Sesko," Shearer stated. "I was saying, 'He has to bring him on!', and I thought he could have brought him on at least ten minutes earlier than he actually did."

Shearer also questioned the overall balance of United's squad building. Despite heavy investment further up the pitch during the transfer window, the Newcastle legend remains unconvinced by their attacking firepower compared to their rivals.

"There’s talk of how they’ve strengthened their forwards and they’ve strengthened the midfield but they didn’t strengthen defensively," Shearer explained. "I’m not 100 per cent certain that they’re that great up top anyway. I think they’re all right, they’re decent. But when you compare them to a lot of the big teams..."

Carrick is under mounting pressure to deliver results, with United currently languishing in 13th place in the Premier League. The Red Devils will look to bounce back immediately when they host Brighton at Old Trafford tonight in the Carabao Cup third round.

Following their cup duties, United travel to the capital to face Fulham in a crucial league clash. With Cunha misfiring and Sesko eager to prove his worth from the first whistle, Carrick faces a major selection headache as he attempts to ignite a stalling campaign.