Ruben Amorim suffers fresh blow with Benjamin Sesko 'lonely' as Man Utd problems continue

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Benjamin Sesko's hopes of an international break reboot were dashed as he was left looking "lonely" while on Slovenia duty. The Manchester United striker, who had a rocky start to his career at Old Trafford, entered the break from Premier League action on a high note, scoring in a defeat against Brentford and in the crucial win over Sunderland.

Sesko would have been keen to carry that momentum into Slovenia's World Cup qualifiers against Kosovo and Switzerland. However, goalless draws in both matches have left their chances of qualifying for next year's tournament hanging by a thread.

The Slovenian press seemed to empathise with Sesko after the Switzerland stalemate match, suggesting he was lacking both service and support. Ekipa handed him a respectable 6.5/10 rating and oddly referenced American rapper Akon's hit song Lonely.

They wrote: "We don't know, maybe he was singing that 20-year-old Akon hit - Lonely. He was too lonely for most of the game, sending the only chance into the outside of the net."

His manager, Matjaz Kek, was less sympathetic, saying his attacking players "don't have bloodlust" after failing to get a single shot on target against Switzerland. This is not what Ruben Amorim would have wanted to hear about one of his most expensive summer signings.

The Swiss are on track to automatically qualify as group winners, three points ahead of Kosovo in second place, which would guarantee a play-off position. Slovenia are trailing by four points in third with only two group games left.

To keep their World Cup dreams alive, Slovenia must triumph over Kosovo in their penultimate group match on November 15. Meanwhile, Sesko's attention will be on United and Sunday's clash against Liverpool .

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The trip to Anfield has been a source of dread for United supporters in recent seasons. However, the champions are looking shaky following back-to-back losses to Crystal Palace and Chelsea.

United, of course, have their own weaknesses, but the manner of their win over Sunderland provided a glimmer of hope, even though Amorim is keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

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"I know they want to do their best – and I know they don't want to change the coach all the time," he said following that match. "But to be with the manager is, 'I will kill myself to go in every transition.' We need to show with actions.

"And sometimes when we look at our team, I know for sure that when we see the games in the end, they know that sometimes we can do better. So, I feel that during the week but we need to show that on the pitch, not just at home but also away."

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