Manchester United suffered the ignominy of losing to League Two side Grimsby Town on Wednesday, almost 60 places below them in the EFL ladder.
The Red Devils lost 11-12 on penalties, after the second round clash had ended 2-2 at the end of regulation time. The defeat saw them crash out of the EFL Cup.
A lot of pretenders were found out under the harsh rains at Blundell Park, with questions rightly being asked of Ruben Amorim’s suitability for the job.
What will also be concerning was the form of new signing Benjamin Sesko, who managed a meagre seven passes in 90 minutes while missing a glorious chance right at the death.
Sesko was anonymous Even more surprisingly, during the penalty shootout, the Slovenian was the last outfield to take his spot-kick, not the best look for your new No.9.
Naturally, plenty of online chatter ensued after the game with quite a few fans surprised by the 22-year-old’s decision to go last.
However, BBC Sport have now revealed that the ex-RB Leipzig ace was suffering from cramps, and hence the decision to not send him earlier.
Conditions were not very conducive, especially in the second half due to the heavy downpour, while this also was the Slovenia international’s first start for his new club.
“Eyebrows were also raised at 73.7m forward Benjamin Sesko being the last outfield player to take a penalty for United in the marathon shootout, which extended to 13 shots for each side.
Penalty call raised eyebrows “Sources have said the decision was taken because Sesko was experiencing cramp having completed a first competitive 90 minutes since 19 April,” the report added.
He had never faced such conditions in his previous clubs, and it was a reality check that was necessary for him to realise the scope of the job he has chosen to undertake.
Hopefully, he can make amends on Saturday when the 20-time English league champions return to Premier League action with a match against Burnley at Old Trafford.
Fans will be expecting a response from the team, and should something should go wrong again, then the head coach’s time at the club might come to an end.
Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
