Dimitar Berbatov Reveals Benjamin Šeško Has "All The Qualities..."

At the start of the season, Benjamin Šeško was struggling for service and rarely finding the opportunity to shoot, never mind the back of the net. It took him seven matches to register his first goal against Brentford, which came thanks to a goalmouth scramble. 

Šeško netted in the following game against Sunderland, in which Senne Lammens made his Manchester United debut, but he didn't hit form until January, when Rúben Amorim had been sacked, and Darren Fletcher had replaced him for two games against Burnley and Brighton and Hove Albion. The Slovenian centre-forward netted two goals against Burnley and another at Old Trafford in the FA Cup, but was dropped by Michael Carrick for the Manchester derby. 

His first goal under Carrick didn't come until the Fulham match in his 16-minute substitute appearance. Šeško netted the fifth goal of the game in the 94th minute to squash Fulham's hopes of a draw after two late goals from Raul Jiménez and Kevin. 

Tottenham Hotspur was a forgettable appearance for Šeško, as he was forced off with a knock after coming off the bench, but after that game, it was impossible not to think about Šeško. Goals against West Ham United and Everton earned him a start against Crystal Palace, where he scored the winning goal in the second half. 

Now, Šeško has found himself back on the bench, but that didn't stop another goal in a 3-1 win against Aston Villa at Old Trafford. 

Dimitar Berbatov was one of the many impressive Premier League strikers to join Manchester United to claim two Premier League medals and a FIFA Club World Cup medal, too. On the latest episode of Inside Carrington, he revealed his thoughts on Benjamin Šeško. 

"I think, right now, things are getting good for him," said the former centre-forward. "Things are working out slowly for him, but I prefer it like this, because I want him to slowly but surely get that confidence, get the goals. They are both connected, when you get goals, you get the confidence. He is finding his position in the team.

"Even if he's on the bench, the sign of him coming into the pitch now brings that threat and that fear factor into the position and brings the goals. It's very good to see him getting off the bench sometimes and scoring goals, starting and scoring goals. To be honest, I don't care what type of goals he scored as long as the ball is in the back of the net. Until you bring that confidence in you, and you know that when you step onto the pitch, goals are guaranteed.

"But he has all the qualities and, right now, at this moment, everything is working well for him. So I hope it continues this way."

In recent years, several players have joined the club and been swallowed up by the pressure cooker of Old Trafford. And that's fair. Manchester United is unlike any other club in the Premier League in that sense, but Berbatov appears impressed by the way Šeško has handled the pressure. 

"Of course, when you play number nine, the pressure is always going to be there, the expectation is always going to be there because you know that you need to score goals. Even though the position of a striker requires so much more these days: dropping deep, guarding the ball, freeing the space, defending as well. But the main thing will always be to score goals. And he knows it."

As it stands, Michael Carrick seems to favour a front three of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Amad, rather than Šeško, but the Slovenian continues to impress from the bench, so has he earned a starting spot? 

When Mbeumo plays through the middle, United have a fluid dynamic and the front three can rotate - as was common under Ole Gunnar Solsjkær, when Carrick was the assistant manager alongside Kieran McKenna. But when Šeško starts as the striker, United have more of a focal point and can focus on crossing the ball into the box for the former RB Leipzig forward to head home. 

Šeško can also be a threat on the counter-attack, with blistering pace shown in the goal against Everton. And yet, Carrick wants Mbeumo in the frontline, so what is the solution? 

One option would be to move Mbeumo out to the right flank and drop Amad to the bench, but again, this leaves United lacking a dynamic - this time the one-vs-one ability that can be so crucial when playing against a lower block. If Mbeumo moved out to the left, that would mean Matheus Cunha on the bench, but he has begun to impress, even staying wider like a traditional left-winger would. 

Carrick will have to settle on dropping one of them if Šeško is to start, unless he wishes to change formation. 

United's summer recruitment for Rúben Amorim looks set to only cause problems down the line.