Gary Lineker believes the circumstances surrounding Ruben Amorim’s tenure at Manchester United were the reason for Benjamin Sesko’s slow start at Old Trafford.

Sesko made a big money move to Manchester United last summer, but the Slovenia international failed to find the net in any of his opening five league matches. In what was an underwhelming start, Sesko found the net only four times in the league from the beginning of the season right until after Amorim was relieved of his duties in January.

However, since Michael Carrick took charge, Sesko has started to make his presence felt despite mostly playing as a substitute. The 22-year-old has scored in three of his last four league outings and most recently turned heads in United’s 1-0 win over Everton, scoring the lone goal of the game.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Lineker claimed Sesko is now starting to live up to his billing, stressing that it took him some time to settle.

“Even Sesko, when he came on the last few games, he’s starting to look like a bit of a player here,” Lineker said. “He’s quick, he gets behind teams, he’s a big lad. Obviously, he’s good in the air. So, you know, it’s taken him time to settle, but that’s probably the Amorim situation as well, which is all over the shop. Everyone was struggling for form.”

So far this season, Sesko has scored eight goals and provided one assist in 24 appearances across competitions.

Manchester United boss Michael Carrick responds to whether Sesko would be granted starting role after scoring winner against Everton

Manchester United boss Carrick refused to respond to whether Sesko would be named in the starting XI for Sunday’s clash against Crystal Palace. Sesko has yet to be named in the starting XI since Carrick took charge, albeit he has been impressive coming on from the bench.

Speaking in the pre-Palace press conference, Carrick stated that there is ‘no drama’ regarding Sesko’s lack of starts. Instead, he noted how pleased he is with the striker’s form and contribution to the team.

He said:

“I just think the whole thing is a positive, to be honest. It’s certainly not a decision that is one I look to in a negative way. We’re playing well as a team and we’ve been winning games. I’m still not getting carried away and thinking that just carries on. Certainly within the group – and the forward players have scored a good number as a group so far – Ben has been so good in so many ways for us. It’s really not a drama, believe it or not. It’s not a drama, and it just shows how much quality Ben’s got for what he’s produced over the last few weeks. If and when he starts, whether it’s the next game or the one after, I think it is what it is. He’s doing so many good things, as well as the team, so it’s a good position for us to be in.”

Ahead of the game against Crystal Palace, Manchester United sit fourth in the Premier League table.