Top News

Benjamin Sesko wasn't one of Manchester United's selected penalty takers because he had cramp, it's been claimed. Ruben Amorim’s side suffered a humiliating penalty shootout defeat to Grimsby on Wednesday and the striker has found himself in the spotlight after being United's last outfield player to take a spot kick.

Sesko joined United from RB Leipzig in a deal worth up to £74million earlier this summer, being the third forward through the door after the earlier arrivals of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo. The 22-year-old had come on as a substitute in United’s first two Premier League games but was trusted from the start against League Two side Grimsby at Blundell Park.

The Slovenia international had six shots in total, with two being on target, but failed to find a winner for the Red Devils, who forced a penalty shootout after being 2-0 down at half-time. However, Sesko’s place in United’s list of penalty takers arguably captured more attention than his overall performance, though a potential reason for him taking the 10th spot kick has emerged.

READ MORE: Kobbie Mainoo tells Man Utd he wants to LEAVE club before transfer deadline

READ MORE: Man Utd legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer SACKED by Besiktas after eight months in charge

BBC Sport reports that Sesko was listed as United’s last outfield penalty taker as he had been experiencing cramp. The defeat to Grimsby was the first 90 minutes the striker had completed since scoring for Leipzig in a 1-1 draw with Holstein Kiel on April 19.

Sesko did score United’s 10th penalty to level the shootout at 9-9 before goalkeepers Andre Onana and Christy Pym also found the net. The order then restarted, with Grimsby winning 12-11 on penalties after a miss from Mbeumo.

The striker suffering from cramp would explain why Amorim was perhaps reluctant to rely on him. However, defenders Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot and Matthijs de Ligt all stepping up before him did little to instill confidence around Sesko at the start of his United career.

Amorim has already explained that he's still adapting to English football after arriving from Germany, unlike Cunha and Mbeumo, who were signed from Wolves and Brentford, respectively. Sesko’s initial displays have prompted a slight concern from pundits, but Amorim called for patience.

“He needs time. It’s not easy to come off the bench when the game is really fast,” the United boss said after his team’s draw with Fulham last weekend. “He is learning the game is faster than the Bundesliga, but he had some good connections with his team-mates.”

When asked why Sesko was named a substitute, Amorim added: “We tried to imagine what is going to happen during the game. Our team needs to be consistent in the way that we control the game and we need to have options to play a different game on the bench.

“Sesko has had two weeks for us, he is trying to understand everything. We need to wait a little bit to help the player. We just want to win the game and try to help all of our players.”

United will hope to respond positively to their Carabao Cup exit when they host Burnley at Old Trafford on Saturday. It remains to be seen whether Sesko will keep his place in attack or again be named on the bench in the Premier League. However, Amorim made his feelings clear about the team after United’s shock defeat in midweek.

"I know that the best team won, the only team that was on the pitch,” he said after the Grimsby defeat. “I think the team and the players spoke really loud today. So that's it.

"We lost, the best team won. I think it was really clear for everybody what happened today. It's not just the space [we gave them], but the way we started the game without any intensity - we were completely lost.

"It's hard to explain. That's why I think they spoke really well. I think they gave the response on the pitch today. When you see something that, like today, it's hard to talk."

Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.