Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney dropped his clear-cut verdict on Benjamin Sesko’s first Premier League start against Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday.
Benjamin Sesko had been on the bench for his first three Premier League matches for Manchester United and he had come on as a substitute in all three appearances.
The 22-year-old Slovenian forward’s first start came last month in the Carabao Cup, with United suffering a shock defeat to Grimsby Town on penalties at Blundell Park.
However, Ruben Amorim finally turned to Sesko for the United starting XI against Manchester City and the Red Devils summer signing led the frontline for his side.
Sesko started in attack for the Red Devils and Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo provided support to him in United’s 3-0 defeat to City at the Etihad on Sunday.
Wayne Rooney’s initial thoughts on Benjamin Sesko after Man Utd’s Premier League defeat to Man City at the Etihad
Manchester United fans spotted that Benjamin Sesko looked frustrated in Sunday’s Manchester derby, with the Slovenia striker lacking much-needed service on the day.
Sesko’s first Premier League start lasted 80 minutes before United manager Ruben Amorim made the call to swap him out for Casemiro in the Manchester City defeat.
Speaking after United’s 3-0 loss to City at the Etihad, Wayne Rooney said that he felt that Sesko “looked a little bit off it” and felt that the striker was starved of service.
“[Sesko] didn’t really have that many opportunities and looked a little bit off it,” he told BBC Sport’s The Wayne Rooney Show.
“In fairness, fitness-wise, but I thought Man United got in some really good areas at times, but that again, that’s what I was saying where I talk about patterns of play when you get into good areas, then you look for things, ‘Right, what you been [working] on if you [are] in this area?’
“You come back out to it a short set when you cross [for the] first time, you come back out to go back to the other side.”
Wayne Rooney claims that Benjamin Sesko faced a major challenge against Man City with what Man Utd were doing
Sesko has now made five appearances for United since the Red Devils beat Newcastle in the race to sign the Slovenia international from RB Leipzig in August.
United legend Rooney insisted that the Red Devils were not doing Sesko any favours with how they were putting in crosses during the Manchester derby defeat.
“You come back out to find a slip ball in behind and looked like the crosses were just getting put in there for the sake of it and then what I will say for any centre-forward or forward or for Sesko is when that’s happening, it’s very difficult to time your run and to try and get on the end of things,” he continued.
“So, but that was the one positive. Man United did get into really good areas, actually.”
Former RB Leipzig ace Sesko has not netted or found an assist for the Red Devils in his first five matches for United across all competitions in the 2025-26 campaign.
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