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Michael Carrick believes Manchester United fans will see "loads more" from forward Benjamin Šeško following a sluggish start to the 2026–27 campaign from last season's joint leading scorer.
After finding the net 11 times in the Premier League, Šeško's debut season was cut short by a calf injury in early May. With Slovenia absent from the World Cup, he had no international commitments but sat out all of preseason, focusing instead on rebuilding his fitness. Since the new campaign got underway, he has managed just 33 minutes across two substitute outings, with no goals and no shots registered, on or off target.
United opted against signing a new striker during the summer window, and the intention remains for Šeško — who celebrated his 23rd birthday in May — to be the long-term first-choice No. 9, provided he can stay fit.
"Ben is continuously improving his fitness, he needed some time away, which was crucial. Going forward, no setbacks and giving both him and us the opportunity to keep him fit for as long as possible," Carrick told the media on Friday, ahead of United's Sunday clash with Everton.
Šeško also endured a slow beginning to 2025–26, managing just two goals in his opening 11 Premier League outings. However, he hit his stride in the second half of the season, netting his next nine league goals across a 14-game stretch between Jan. 7 and May 3.
"He made huge strides last season, he is still young and finding his feet, there is loads more to come," Carrick said reassuringly, just days after reports emerged that certain United players had pushed for the club to bring in another centre forward over the summer to ease the burden.
Sesko Doesn't Have a Tough Act to Follow
Šeško will ultimately be measured by his goal output, having yet to post truly prolific numbers throughout his career — his personal best in the Bundesliga was 14 goals during 2023–24, when he was just 20 years old.
There is still time for that, and it's worth noting he isn't exactly stepping into oversized boots at Old Trafford. The club has lacked a consistent, reliable and prolific No. 9 for quite some time.
A 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo was the last United striker to surpass 15 Premier League goals in a single season (2021–22). Zlatan Ibrahimović, now over a decade ago, was similarly a short-term solution due to his age, while Romelu Lukaku never truly settled at the club.
Anthony Martial topped 15 league goals just once, in 2019–20, and Marcus Rashford was operating as a winger when he matched that tally in both 2019–20 and 2022–23. Rasmus Højlund, Šeško's direct predecessor, struggled under the weight of expectation in far from ideal conditions.
Carrick: Man Utd Squad 'in a Good Place'
In total, United completed four first-team signings during the transfer window, alongside a number of academy prospects who could also feature throughout the season.
Midfield reinforcement was the primary objective, with Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba arriving for a combined $209 million (£155 million). Karl Darlow was also brought in to provide experienced cover in goal. Despite calls to address the left-back position, Carrick believes the squad is in a "good place" and better equipped than it was at the start of the window.
"We entered the window aiming to emerge with a stronger group than we had last season, and we have certainly achieved that," the manager said, describing it as "a lot of good work" within the financial constraints the club is operating under.
Carrick is "absolutely delighted" with the new arrivals. "You can always look back and think there were other moves we could have made, but certain opportunities arise at certain times. On the whole, I think we are in a good place with the squad. We have players who offer flexibility across the team and can fill different roles as and when required."