Thanks to goals from engine room duo Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United got back to winning ways with a 2-1 triumph over Chelsea at the weekend – and Rio Ferdinand has demanded change from Benjamin Sesko after a statistic emerged from their meeting with the Londoners.
Entering the contest as the underdogs, Robert Sanchez’s red card within five was followed up with Fernandes hitting the back of the net in the 14th minute. Casemiro, eight minutes shy of the half-time interval, doubled the home side’s lead. Trevoh Chalobah then scored for Chelsea in the 80th minute.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: The last time Chelsea beat Manchester United at Old Trafford was in May 2013 when Juan Mata’s 87th-minute goal secured all three points for the Blues.
Lisbon-born Amorim and his entourage, having played the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City already, have endured a tricky start to the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, but a win against the west Londoners will have steadied the ship somewhat. And Ferdinand has shared his thoughts on the performance of their summer recruit Sesko.
Rio Ferdinand Demands a Change From Man Utd Striker Sesko
After a record-breaking (for all the wrong reasons!) season for Amorim – widely regarded as one of the best young managers in world football – the club forked out plenty of money on the likes of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Sesko to add goals to the beleaguered style of play. The latter, following his £74 million-worth move this summer, is yet to score.
Sesko missed a portion of pre-season as RB Leipzig were in dialogue with more than one Premier League team over a prospective transfer for the 22-year-old. Recently, against Chelsea, he was taken off at half-time and defender-turned-pundit Ferdinand has implored him to take ‘responsibility’ for his involvement, or lack thereof.
“In the first half, against 10 men, he’s had six touches,” the 46-year-old said on his YouTube podcast. “Six touches! I think the responsibility goes to the striker as well [as other players]. In today’s game, there’s enough at your disposal technology-wise and clip-wise that you can get it in black and white on the iPad and say to your teammates, ‘You know when you get in that position, look where I am’.
“Amad on the weekend, I thought he played well, was in a great position on the left-hand side and Sesko pulled off the defender in the 18-yard box and Amad just has to roll it to him,” Ferdinand continued before suggesting that he should channel his inner Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was keen to converse with his teammates.
“It’s decision-making in the final third that’s going to see him free or it isn’t, and he’s got to try and dictate a lot of those players, either through runs that make it so obvious or physically telling them after a game. They’re the type of conversations has to have because I know Ruud [van Nistelrooy] was having that.”
The Dutchman, who netted 150 strikes in 219 outings for the Old Trafford club, often spoke to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo about the type of runs he intended to make, Ferdinand claimed, as he insisted improvements in that regard will be ‘the making of him’.
“I saw Ruud walk off the training field because [Cristiano] Ronaldo did too many step overs and he wasn’t playing it when he wanted it. You’ve got to find it from somewhere to make your teammates know, and that will be the making of him.”