“You can’t win anything with kids” was Alan Hansen’s immortal line many years ago and Manchester United did it again in Friday’s hard-fought win over Newcastle United.
Despite ending the night with a makeshift line-up that would have been unimaginable just a few weeks ago, the likes of Aiden Haven, Jack Fletcher and Patrick Dawg held firm to lead the hosts to a crucial 1-0 win at Old Trafford.
United manager Ruben Amorim, who was without a number of key figures, including captain Bruno Fernandes, shuffled the pack again after an early knock, with Dorgu being a notable beneficiary, with the new right-winger scoring a sensational goal in the first half.
Mason Mount’s unfortunate half-time withdrawal quickly erased that initial promise, but the home side held on with guile and climbed up to fifth place ahead of next week’s encounter with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
While the three points are ultimately all that matters for Amorim and his staff, it’s fair to say it wasn’t an overwhelmingly positive night for the players in either dugout, and it wasn’t a special night for summer signing Benjamin Sesco either.
Sesco vs Newcastle match in numbers
There were signs of life against Aston Villa at the weekend, with Sesco on the verge of scoring his third goal of the season, but he was thwarted by Emi Martinez’s onslaught home goal.
The Slovenian striker came close to scoring once again, pouncing on a loose ball just before the hour mark, but smashed his shot against the crossbar and opposition stopper Aaron Ramsdale walked away looking helpless.
Perhaps like many of the spectators watching, the 22-year-old thought he was in an offside position, but even if he ended up hitting the crate, he appeared to lack any real intention to dart into the box and score.
In fact, following another difficult night in which the former RB Leipig man shot wide on the early turn, it was no surprise that Sesco, who looked almost like a bystander when leading the line, was hooked shortly after attempting the crossbar.
In fact, it appears Amorim needs more additions, as according to Sofascore, the new signings recorded just 24 touches in total, completed just nine passes and won a solitary duel, and without other attackers including Brian Mbeumo and Amad.
That said, Sesco will still require patience, considering it has only been a few months since he began his journey to Old Trafford, and he will definitely need consistent appearances after his recent injury absence.
Time is rarely given to anyone in Manchester, but time is on his side. The same cannot be said about his fellow forward Joshua Zirkzee.
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As mentioned, with a lack of attacking options at the moment, Amorim is looking for players on the periphery to step up, and Dorg definitely does just that in the role of newcomer on the right flank.
This AFCON and injury absences have given Dorg and others a chance, with the aforementioned Haven also showing confidence again, with Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt also watching from the stands.
Both youngsters had their moment, but at a time when United were looking for an attacking figurehead, a guy called Zirksee was arguably worse than Sesco, so he definitely fell short.
Serving was limited to the 6-foot-4 Dutchman, who rarely took shots when the ball came to him, losing the ball five times on 13 touches and registering only four passes in total.
Like Sesco before him, Zirksee seemed to lack any sense of urgency or desire to be involved in the fight, with the 24-year-old simply watching the fight go by.
Sesco vs Zirksee – Newcastle | ||
|---|---|---|
status | Sesco | jirkzee |
minutes | 60 | 30 |
touch | twenty four | 13 |
Pass accuracy | 9/10 | 4/4 |
loss of ownership | 5 | 5 |
dribble | 0/1 | 0/1 |
key pass | 0 | 0 |
Total number of duels won | 1/6 | 1/7 |
shot | 2 | 0 |
Statistics by Sofascore | ||
Of course, his introduction came as the home side camped outside their own box and hung on desperately, but Zirksee did little to change the momentum, winning just one of his seven duels and failing to dribble successfully.
Friday’s cameo was perhaps the final nail in the coffin for his Old Trafford career, on the same stage the former Bologna player was sent off after just 30 minutes against the same opposition exactly a year ago.
He played 61 games and scored just eight goals, of which only four came in the Premier League. His record simply isn’t good enough and with reports suggesting Roma are ready to sign him in time for January, United and INEOS are unlikely to stand in his way.
Yes, attacking alternatives are limited, but the Red Devils may be better off relying on their academy rather than continuing to use the £105,000-a-week struggler.
With the possibility of a return to Italy being floated, it wouldn’t be too much of a shock if Zirksee is not used again under Amorim.
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