Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has fired an accusation at the current crop of players regarding Benjamin Sesko.
Sesko endures muted display vs. Fulham Sesko struggled to influence the game as United were held to a 1-1 draw by Fulham on Sunday at Craven Cottage.
The new signing was named on the bench for a second consecutive game, with Ruben Amorim once again choosing to start without a natural striker.
United enjoyed a bright start to the match but failed to capitalise, allowing Fulham to slowly grow into it before they eventually took control and became the more dominant side. However, it was the Red Devils who struck first against the run of play, with Leny Yoro’s header taking a deflection off Rodrigo Muniz and finding the back of the net.
But United were pegged back just 15 minutes later through substitute Emile Smith Rowe. Sesko was brought on in the 53rd minute to replace Casemiro but was unable to make an impact.
There were promising signs of his hold-up play and strength but he had nothing to pounce on in terms of goalscoring chances.
After the final whistle, Ruben Amorim called for patience with Sesko, insisting that the Slovenian will need time to adapt to the pace of the Premier League.
However, Rio Ferdinand feels the United players aren’t giving Sesko enough support, leaving him somewhat isolated.
Ferdinand reveals Sesko concerns Speaking on his Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel, the former England international remarked about Sesko, “Get the ball into him. He isn’t going to be an easy day’s work. Get it into him and make them defend. But we are playing it around him. Sometimes it’s like really basic, fundamental things.”
“Get it into someone who can cause problems but we go against that. So that was my main concern, you are not getting to see who he is.”
“I would rather you play it into him and he look rubbish so we know what we’ve got because, right now, I don’t know what he is or what he’s doing.”
“I’m not pointing the finger but you have got to help your team-mates find their feet in the team.”
On United’s performance, Ferdinand added, “We were dominating the life out of Fulham, scaring the life out of them. I would have thought every Fulham fan, player and member of staff would have been going, ‘What’s happening here? This isn’t the Manchester United we were expecting to see’, and at those moments there, the best teams punish the weak.”
“They put their put on their throat and say, ‘Stay there’, and that’s what we didn’t do. We let them off the hook.”
The six-time Premier League winner continued, “We went 1-0 up but we weren’t the team in the ascendancy at that time, we weren’t the team dominating. Fulham were back in the game and it kind of came against the run of play a little bit.”
“But I look at the team and it feels, at the minute, that if we don’t go and take the game and score a goal when we’re doing well, it can destabilise us when the other team starts getting into the game. I understand why that is because there’s a lack of confidence in the players based on last season and there’s still a hangover from some of the things that went on last season.”
“It’s not like you get confidence and supreme confidence in yourselves that you can ride a bit of pressure, you can ride a change of momentum in the game. You can get through it and bob and weave. We go on the back foot in those moments, start chasing and losing our shape.”
Ferdinand insisted that when the tide turns against United, it’s important for the team to remain disciplined and exercise some calm and composure.
Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images
Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
Derick Kinoti Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
