Man Utd’s new starting XI if Sesko replacement arrives in January

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image

Manchester United may be forced to dip into the transfer market for a new striker in January after Benjamin Sesko sustained a knee injury during Saturday's 2-2 draw against Tottenham.

Sesko was forced off just half an hour into the match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, following a tackle from Micky van de Ven that left him clutching his knee. Despite being seen leaving the stadium without the aid of crutches, the 23-year-old appeared to be in considerable pain and was not moving freely.

Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT

On Monday, United confirmed that Sesko would not be joining up with the Slovenia squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Kosovo and Sweden. Instead, the former RB Leipzig forward will remain at Carrington for further assessment this week.

While insiders have suggested that the injury is not believed to be serious, there are whispers that United may need to bolster their attacking options in the January window. One name that has been floated as a potential target is Al-Ahli's Ivan Toney.

Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT

Toney, who spent three seasons in the Premier League with Brentford, scoring an impressive 36 goals in 83 appearances, made the move to Saudi Arabia last summer. Since his switch to the Middle East, the 29-year-old's form has been nothing short of spectacular, with 41 goals in 59 matches.

If United were to swoop for Toney as a replacement for the injured Sesko, he would take up the No.9 role in Amorim's 3-4-2-1 formation, with current second-choice striker Joshua Zirkzee likely to move on.

Alongside Toney would be his former Brentford colleague Bryan Mbeumo on the right and Matheus Cunha on the left.

Casemiro, who has seen a resurgence since Ruben Amorim reintroduced him into the starting XI towards the end of last season, would slot back into the midfield two alongside skipper Bruno Fernandes.

Amad Diallo would maintain his position as the right-wing back, with Diogo Dalot, who was benched for Saturday's 2-2 stalemate against Tottenham, returning in place of Patrick Dorgu as the left-wing back.

In terms of the back three, Amorim has stuck with a consistent central defensive trio in recent matches, featuring Harry Maguire as the central centre-back, Matthijs de Ligt as the right centre-back and Luke Shaw as the left centre-back.

The choice of goalkeeper is then straightforward, with Senne Lammens serving as the No.1. The Belgian has been impressive since taking over from Altay Bayindir for United's victory over Sunderland last month.

Man United starting XI with Sesko replacement: Lammens; De Ligt, Maguire, Shaw; Amad, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot; Mbeumo, Cunha; Toney.

Source