Alan Shearer has lambasted Manchester United's Benjamin Sesko for his performance during their 2-2 draw against Tottenham on Saturday afternoon. The Red Devils, having taken the lead on the day, needed a goal in added time to salvage a point from the Premier League tie.
Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring against Spurs after a cross from the excellent Amad Diallo. But the hosts, despite struggling in the first half, put their opponents under sustained pressure after the interval, as goals from Mathys Tel and Richarlison put them in front with minutes to go.
United, who were reduced to 10 men following an injury to striker Sesko, levelled proceedings through Matthijs de Ligt, who rose highest to head home from a corner. But the ending was far from comfortable for Ruben Amorim's side.
Shearer Unhappy With Sesko's Cameo
Although he might only have been on the pitch for a short while due to his injury, former Newcastle striker Shearer was far from happy with what he saw from Sesko. The Slovenian international squandered an excellent chance to put United back in front following Tel's equaliser, only for Micky Van de Ven to make a last-ditch sliding tackle.
It summed up the number nine's luck in front of goal presently, with him scoring just twice in 12 appearances since his £74m move from RB Leipzig in the summer. And speaking on Match of the Day, the Premier League's record goalscorer said that Sesko "must do better" in front of goal, with him waiting too long to take his shot.
He said: "They worked it really well for him to get in. He’s either got to get his shot away early or he’s got to push that ball forward quicker. He’s not going to get that amount of time in the Premier League to work it back on his right foot.
"This one [Sesko’s second chance] is the bigger puzzle for me. I know he’s struggling for confidence but any centre-forward knows you cannot allow the centre-half to come back at you, you’ve got to get across Van de Ven.
"By that time he should have a picture in his head of where the keeper is and what he wants to do. I don’t think he has a clue he wants to do because I don’t even think he even knows Van de Ven is there and chasing him.
"I know he’s struggling with confidence but it’s a big ‘must do better’. No one likes to see him coming off injured and we hope his knee is okay but they are two chances you’d expect at that level that someone has to put away."
Amorim Not Sure About Sesko Injury
Sesko will also now face a spell on the sidelines following the game. The 22-year-old suffered an injury during the draw against Spurs and was forced off in the 88th minute, having only come on half-an-hour earlier.
Amorim, who admitted that his forward was struggling before the game, clarified after the match that he wasn't sure about the severity of Sesko's injury. Stating it was a problem with his knee, the Portuguese coach went on to say that United needed their striker to be a better team.
"We have to check. He had something in his knee, let's see," he said. And when asked about Sesko's form, he added: "That is not the biggest concern now. That happens, especially with a striker. I am more concerned with the injury, because it's in the knee. We don't know, we need Ben to be a better team. I have no idea. Because it is the knee we never know.”