United legend predicts summer recruit will thrive under Carrick, Amorim didn’t want to sign him – report

Manchester United ended their search for a caretaker manager by appointing Michael Carrick in the role on Tuesday, 13 January. The Englishman fought off competition from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ruud van Nistelrooy to secure the position and will be in charge for the remaining 17 games of the season. The Red Devils are set to make a permanent appointment in the summer, but for now, Carrick is expected to steady the ship and target a top-four finish. United endured a mixed campaign under former head coach Ruben Amorim, who was removed from his position earlier this month. Darren Fletcher was under interim charge for two games, drawing one and losing the other – an FA Cup third round defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion that knocked the Red Devils out of the tournament. Carrick will be tasked with getting the best out of the squad in the coming months. One player who has been in rejuvenated form in recent games is Benjamin Sesko. Sesko’s rise under Fletcher United wanted a new No. 9 last summer to lead the line following the struggles of Rasmus Hojlund, who was subsequently offloaded to Napoli on loan. The Red Devils spent a considerable amount in securing Sesko’s signature from RB Leipzig, but the Slovenian endured a slow start under Amorim, who reportedly did not want to sign him in the first place. Sesko’s struggles at Old Trafford further raised questions about INEOS’ recruitment strategy, but things have changed drastically following the Portuguese head coach’s departure. In the two games under Fletcher, the 22 year old scored three goals, taking his tally for the season to five in all competitions. Benjamin Sesko Stats: 2025/26 Season CompetitionAppearancesGoalsAssistsYellow CardsRed CardsMinutes Played Premier League17411—1,042′ FA Cup11———90′ EFL Cup1————90′ Total19511—1,222′ Source: Transfermarkt. United have scored the third-most goals in the Premier League this season, and are seventh in the league table. If they are to secure Champions League football for next campaign, the team will have to continue their form in front of goal under Carrick. Club legend Rio Ferdinand has now backed Sesko to flourish under the Red Devils’ caretaker manager. Carrick will build around Sesko Speaking on his YouTube channel, as cited by the Daily Mail, the former England defender insisted that Sesko will improve under Carrick. He said: “Sesko could have an improvement.” “Carrick was one of those players, he was trusted as one of the top three or four players in our team to get the ball into dangerous areas for people to create one vs one situations or get in on goal, or the pass before the goal.” “So he understands that way of thinking and what a striker needs. I think he will put the pieces around somebody like Sesko. I look at Sesko and if he is firing on all cylinders he is one of them ones I don’t think you want to play against. If he has a good day, he’s a player you go ‘ooh, he’s quick, he’s strong, he can jump, he’s athletic’.” “A lot of those attributes you think I don’t really want that around me. He needs good service for all those attributes to come out and Michael will be looking at that and thinking “how can I get the ball into this guy and put him in areas where defenders will make mistakes?” Final Thoughts Sesko was once considered the brightest young prospect in Europe, and one cannot deny that United’s struggles this season have also contributed to his form so far. But with new management in place, fans will hope that the Slovenian can continue his recent resurgence and power the Red Devils to a top-four place this season. Benjamin Sesko’s game by numbers vs. Burnley: 13 touches in opp. box 8 shots 8 aerial duels won 7 shots on target 2 goals#BURMUN pic.twitter.com/Ze84CWhQsx — Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) January 7, 2026 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 Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.