United players back Sesko cover over left-back as squad priorities diverge from board

Manchester United’s players want a striker signed ahead of a left-back, with the squad reportedly feeling Benjamin Sesko still needs a partner rather than viewing the full-back position as a pressing concern, according to The Athletic.

The divergence in priorities is notable given that left-back was widely flagged as a problem area heading into the summer. United explored moves for Myles Lewis-Skelly and Lewis Hall, and were linked with Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde, but none of those options materialised. Luke Shaw now enters a Champions League season as the club’s only natural left-back, having played all 38 Premier League games last term.

Manager Michael Carrick has indicated he can work around the gap, pointing to Patrick Dorgu as a forward option who can drop back, with Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui available as makeshift cover from the right side. Carrick pushed back on suggestions the squad is short, arguing that squad-building is a gradual process rather than a single-window fix.

“What squad’s ever the perfect squad? You’ve always got to find ways of adapting,” Carrick said. “It’s not going to be one hit. It’s not just an instant fix and you finish top of the league and you stay there.”

The players’ view, per The Athletic, is that a second centre-forward would unlock more of the squad’s attacking potential. With Sesko as the focal point, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha are currently required to fill roles that do not always suit them. A recognised striker partner for Sesko, the thinking goes, would allow both wide forwards to operate in more natural positions.

On Shaw specifically, the squad is said to retain strong faith in the England international, whose long service at Old Trafford has earned him considerable goodwill in the dressing room — a factor that reduces the perceived urgency around his backup.

United’s summer outlay was heavily concentrated in midfield. The club spent £155m bringing in Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba, with a fourth signing also completed. Carrick acknowledged the club’s financial situation shaped those decisions without characterising it as a restriction, saying: “I’m just saying that’s the situation that we have.”

With the Champions League adding fixture congestion to an already demanding Premier League campaign, the depth questions at both ends of the pitch are unlikely to disappear quickly — regardless of where the manager and his players disagree on the priority.