Michael Carrick could face awkward Manchester United conversation

Manchester United's interim head coach Michael Carrick start has been excellent but if he does this an awkward conversation could be on the way

Michael Carrick's return to Manchester United has been an overwhelming success so far. Even taking into account the draw against West Ham on Tuesday night, the Reds remain in a much better place than they were under Ruben Amorim's leadership.

It is hard to know how United would have performed if Amorim had been in charge, maybe they would have nicked a point at the London Stadium. But the general consensus has been that United would not have beaten all of Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham or Tottenham Hotspur beforehand so Carrick's impressive impact on this squad is rightfully being recognised.

Thanks to this, it has been difficult for anyone, either inside or outside the squad, to question Carrick's approach to the job or the team selections he has made. He has subscribed to the mantra of 'if it's not broke, don't fix it.'

FOLLOW OUR MAN UNITED FACEBOOK PAGE!Latest news and analysis via the MEN’s Manchester United Facebook page

Try MEN Premium NOW for just £1

The trip to West Ham saw the Reds pick the same team for the third successive fixture and the only time Carrick has altered the starting line-up has been due to injury. But on Tuesday night, it was a substitute who ensured the unbeaten run remained intact.

Benjamin Sesko scored arguably one of United's goals of the season with his intuitive flick at the near post rescuing a point for the Reds. This is not the first time that Sesko has managed to score important goals for the club since Amorim was replaced.

He now has four goals in his last five Premier League matches and has a respectable seven goals in 23 United appearances, with only Bryan Mbeumo having scored more than him this season.

Due to United's early exits in the Carabao and FA Cups, coupled with no European football this season, opportunities for Carrick to rotate the squad are limited. The absence of football outside the Premier League also means the Reds have an empty weekend this week.

But once United return to action a week on Monday, Carrick could have an awkward conversation to come with Sesko if he does not start for the trip to Everton. Currently, the Slovenian is earning himself the tag of 'super sub' but ask any player and they will tell you they do not want to earn a reputation for being good enough solely off the bench.

Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as a Preferred Source in your Google search settings

Sesko even made his pitch to start more often in his post-match interview with MUTV. "I think everyone wanted it, everyone was trying to win the game, to score, to fight for each other," he explained.

"Unfortunately that didn't happen, but at least we got a draw, which is important in the end. I felt amazing because at least I know that, once again, I could help the team by trying to secure at least one point."

At some stage, Carrick will be unable to ignore the impact Sesko is making off the bench and will need to look at starting the forward. The only question then would be who drops out.

The obvious answer would be to move Mbeumo out to the right and put Amad onto the bench. While the Ivorian is a good threat for United, it would not harm him to have a spell out of the team to give Sesko a chance. Whatever Carrick decides to do, it is at least progress to see United giving their head coach positive selection dilemmas.

Click here to read article