0 key passes, 10 passes, 25% duels won: United star proves he is not yet ready for starting burden in Leeds defeat

Since Michael Carrick arrived at the club, Benjamin Sesko has been one of the biggest contributors. Regular goals from bench The big Slovenian has been one of the most clinical strikers in the league, scoring a plethora of important goals. He grabbed a late equaliser against West Ham United and a winner away to Everton. Sesko also scored what turned out to be the winner against Crystal Palace and Fulham. As a result, many fans have been calling for him to get a chance, and Carrick responded by leaving Cameroonian Bryan Mbeumo on the bench against Leeds United. Nonetheless, United and Sesko both struggled massively against Leeds and lost 1-2 at Old Trafford in dismal fashion. No impact Sesko was particularly poor in the game, having three shots on goal but failing to score. To be fair, all his efforts hit the target, but he should have done much better with a headed chance when the ball went right into Karl Darlow’s hands; if it had gone either side, it would have been a goal. He did complete his only dribble attempt of the match but was unable to influence the game with any key passes. Sesko’s isolation was also demonstrated by the fact he could only complete a mere 10 passes after 97 minutes on the pitch. The striker was also poor in ground duels, winning just one out of four attempts. He was much better in the air, however, winning a highly impressive five out of six aerial balls. He also failed to help out much defensively, not making a tackle, clearance, or interception in the match. After the weak performance from a starting position, it is possible that Carrick will reinstate Sesko to a bench role for the huge match against Chelsea on Saturday night, which could well go a long way towards deciding United’s Champions League fate. Benjamin Sesko vs Leeds United MetricValue Goals0 Expected goals (xG)0.31 Assists0 Expected assists (xA)0.01 Total shots3 Expected goals on target (xGOT)0.5 Shots on target3 Shots blocked0 Touches27 Unsuccessful touches4 Dribbles (successful)1 (1) Possession lost12 Total carrying distance25.9 m Carries4 Progressive carries1 Total progression0.1 m Progressive carrying distance5.4 m Longest progressive carry5.4 m Key passes0 Crosses (accurate)0 (0) Accurate passes10/15 (67%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)5/8 (63%) Passes in own half (acc.)5/7 (71%) Def. contributions0 Tackles (won)0 (0) Interceptions0 Clearances0 Blocked shots0 Recoveries2 Ground duels (won)4 (1) Aerial duels (won)6 (5) Dribbled past0 Featured image Jan Kruger via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.