Tim Sherwood has argued that Benjamin Sesko is ‘not good enough to play for Manchester United’, despite the striker scoring twice in the side’s 2-2 draw with Burnley. The former Tottenham and Aston Villa manager was scathing in his assessment at half-time, calling for caretaker boss Darren Fletcher to haul off the £74 million summer signing.
Fletcher’s first match in charge got off to a poor start when Bashir Humphreys’ cross deflected off Ayden Heaven to give Burnley a 13th-minute lead. Sesko then scored twice in ten minutes early in the second half, his first Premier League goals for the club. However, substitute Jaidon Anthony levelled with a fine strike in the 66th minute, leaving United with a third successive league draw.
Speaking on Sky Sports after the match, Sherwood acknowledged the positives of Sesko’s brace but maintained his criticism. ‘It’s taken six months to turn up at Manchester United and I’m pleased for the lad,’ he said. ‘He’s had a tough run of it and I said he should have come off the pitch at half-time, never to wear a Manchester United shirt again.’ When host David Jones chuckled, Sherwood added: ‘I stand by what I say: he’s not good enough to play for Manchester United. No, he’s turned up for one game against Burnley who are going to get relegated.’
Sherwood also criticised the decision to substitute Bruno Fernandes just past the hour-mark, with the midfielder being eased back from injury. ‘When Bruno came off the pitch, I think they lost control,’ said Sherwood. ‘They’re well short of quality. You need to be able to kill the game off, you need to be able to dictate the pace of the game and they don’t do that.’ He also pointed the finger at Lisandro Martinez for his ‘poor’ defending in the build-up to Burnley’s equaliser.
