Manchester United will face far greater tests of their Champions League credentials than Sabah FK presented at Old Trafford.
Indeed, it would come as no surprise if the Azerbaijani champions proved to be the weakest of the eight league stage opponents Michael Carrick’s side will encounter.
Nevertheless, there were valuable insights for the head coach to take from the match.
The most significant of these was that Manchester United operate as a far more potent unit when Benjamin Sesko is in the starting XI.
This marked the first time the Slovenian forward had been started since the Liverpool fixture last March, when he finally conceded that he could no longer continue playing through the shin complaint that had bothered him for weeks.
It had been anticipated that Sesko would be available for the start of the Premier League campaign.
In the event, he was limited to substitute appearances in the second half of the opening-day journey to Hull, with similar cameos against Ipswich and Everton.
Sabah FK were unfortunate that Sesko was fit to begin the match — and the consequences were evident.
Standing at 6ft 5in, the 23-year-old commands a physical presence that United’s other strikers cannot replicate.
Amad Diallo’s current unavailability has denied Carrick the luxury of fielding Bryan Mbeumo as the central striker, as he did during pre-season, though Matheus Cunha is not without capability in that role.
The issue is that the Brazilian tends to drift and drop deep, creating a void at the top of Manchester United’s attacking structure.
Sesko presents an entirely different kind of threat. He forces defences to retreat. He is difficult to dispossess. He runs at defenders rather than away from them.
He also finds the net.
Against Everton, it was his imposing frame that enabled him to power in a close-range header that appeared destined to secure all three points, only for Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ remarkable late free kick to deny them.
Versus Sabah FK, Sesko had already made his mark with a daring back-flick in the first half before Mbeumo sent him clear of the visiting defence.
Sesko displayed sharp composure, racing past goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov and calmly slotting the ball into an unguarded net.
