Gary Neville tells Michael Carrick Man Utd star must be dropped – ‘It would kill the lad’
Manchester United hero Gary Neville has urged Michael Carrick to make a ruthless decision and drop Amad Diallo for the Red Devils’ next Premier League game
Benjamin Sesko scored Manchester United’s winning goal against Everton(Image: 2026 Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA)
Gary Neville has urged Michael Carrick to drop Amad Diallo and hand Benjamin Sesko a starting berth for Manchester United’s upcoming Premier League game against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Sesko, 23, has been making a compelling case for a start in recent weeks following his match-winning strike in a 3-2 triumph over Fulham and his leveller in a 1-1 draw at West Ham earlier this month. Nevertheless, Carrick opted to name Sesko amongst the substitutes for Monday’s journey to Everton, favouring Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo in his front line.
However, Sesko, for the third time in four fixtures, found the net as a second-half substitute when he struck a 71st-minute winner to secure United a 1-0 victory at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The Slovenia international completed a swift counter-attack from the Reds and slotted home a first-time effort into the bottom corner following Mbeumo’s unselfish squared delivery.
With Sesko displaying excellent form, he has positioned himself firmly in contention to secure a maiden start under Carrick for Sunday’s Premier League encounter at home to Palace. Neville believes that Sesko has now demonstrated he deserves a spot in the starting XI, with the former United defender calling for Amad to make way for the ex-RB Leipzig striker.
“For Sesko now, I think he starts on Sunday against Crystal Palace,” Neville told Sky Sports. “I haven’t always been convinced about him this season, but what you have to do is move with what you see.
“I think there is a moment now where United have struggled in the last couple of games against West Ham and Everton; he looks like he is growing in his game and in his body, he looks like he has more power in his performance, his confidence is high. I think now on Sunday Michael Carrick starts him.
“Just feeling how Michael would look at that, I think it would kill the lad if he didn’t start. I think what you’ll see on Sunday is Cunha to the left, Mbeumo to the right, Sesko up top and Bruno in behind. I think Amad will just slip out for a game, he has been really good but I think Sesko starts.”
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After Sesko slotted the ball past Jordan Pickford, it seemed as though there was genuine ferocity and enthusiasm in the celebration as he strutted towards the ecstatic United supporters in the corner.
“That celebration was a message to everybody, mainly those Manchester United fans over in the corner that were going wild,” Neville said. “But that was a message to say, ‘get me in this damn team now, I start next time’.
“I think he will have been really disappointed, having scored against West Ham, which was a wonderful goal, not to be in that team today. You say he had a difficult time under Ruben Amorim, absolutely! But Michael Carrick has not started him yet in any game. So, he is obviously preferring other players it’s fair to say.
“However, what he has now done in these three games; the winner against Fulham, the West Ham goal which was a big goal to get a point out of a game where United didn’t play well, and then today with a winner where United haven’t played well.”
Sesko now has eight goals in 24 matches for United since his £74million transfer from Leipzig last summer. He is, nevertheless, discovering some rhythm having struck three times in his previous four outings.
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