Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko has divided opinion during the opening chapter of his Old Trafford journey. The 22-year-old made the switch to United from RB Leipzig during the recent summer transfer window in a deal potentially worth £73.7million.
The Red Devils pipped Champions League outfit Newcastle to Sesko’s signature, whilst Arsenal had also shown interest in the forward before deciding to pursue Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting instead. Sesko struggled initially at M16, failing to find the net in his opening six outings under Ruben Amorim.
However, the Slovenian has since discovered his scoring touch with two strikes in his previous two matches. Amorim will be eager for his frontman to silence the doubters, with Sunday’s clash against Premier League champions Liverpool presenting an ideal stage to demonstrate his quality.
That being said, here’s an examination of some United icons who have raised concerns about Sesko – even amid his improved displays for Amorim’s squad.
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand confessed in September that he harboured concerns regarding Sesko’s subdued introduction to life with the Red Devils.
During an appearance on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, the former United and England centre-back remarked: “The one I’m worried about is Sesko. He ain’t getting no chances man, he ain’t getting no opportunities, there’s nothing created for him.
“That’s the concern. A new striker comes in the football club, gets in the team, you’ve got to think about creating chances for him. Getting him on the end of things. He’s got to think about getting on the end of things.
“That’s something I think has got to be looked at, and fixed quick. I don’t want to think about what it could turn out to be.”
Nicky Butt
Former midfielder Nicky Butt expressed concerns last month that United have erred by bringing in Sesko rather than a more ‘seasoned striker’.
When questioned about his thoughts on United’s summer transfer activity, Butt told BetMGM: “I was and I wasn’t. I know [Matheus] Cunha has done really well over the last couple of seasons, but I would really like an experienced striker.
“I hope I’m wrong, but I really hope they aren’t making the same mistakes with [Benjamin] Sesko as they did with Rasmus [Hojlund]. A young player coming in with no Premier League experience – it just feels like history repeating itself.
“Honestly, for what it would have cost, I would have gone and brought in someone like Ollie Watkins, someone to help and pull the young strikers out of a bad patch. When young players are just coming into the club, when the onus is on them to score goals, if they’re having a few bad games, they have to have the safety net of being pulled out of the firing line.
“Ollie Watkins, or someone like that, would be who I would have been looking to bring in.”
Peter Schmeichel
Former goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has branded the decision to bring in Sesko whilst letting Rasmus Hojlund depart as ‘bizarre’ during United’s summer dealings.
“The signing of Benjamin Sesko was a little bit weird to me because we have Rasmus Hojlund, who has been starved of service for two years,” Schmeichel told BBC podcast Sacked in the Morning.
“You only have to see what he’s doing at Napoli with Kevin de Bruyne and Scott McTominay to play with – he’s scoring goals. I’ve consistently said this for two-and-a-half years – Rasmus Hojlund will be a 25-goal-a-year striker for Manchester United, but he needs service.
“We let him go on the stats that he scored very little goals last season and bring Sesko in at the time we bring in Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbuemo, who would give Hojlund first-class service.
“You spend £70m-plus on Sesko, when we don’t have the number six we should have, and there’s the goalkeeping position as well.”
Paul Scholes
Former United midfielder Paul Scholes has also raised doubts about Sesko’s arrival – drawing parallels with Hojlund’s situation.
“You look at Rasmus Hojlund, 22-year-old kid, came when he was 20 years of age,’ Scholes said on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast.
“One centre-forward for Manchester United and everything was on him, the pressure was on him and he couldn’t handle it. He should be coming in and out of the team. There should be three or four centre-forwards there.
“This summer, what do they do? They let him go and they buy another one, very similar, exactly the same! 22 years of age. He’s started OK, he looks like he’s getting better. But where’s the common sense in that?”
Roy Keane
Roy Keane is also yet to be fully convinced by Sesko, but concedes that patience is required. Speaking to Sky Sports in early September, he commented: “Too early to tell [on Sesko].
“Yeah, I think when there’s a lot of speculation sometimes, you know how much some a lot of lads miss training over pre-season and maybe just looks like he’s not up to speed yet, but yeah, undecided yet. Give the kid a chance.”