£20m prodigy on Man Utd snub and Erling Haaland comparisons

One of Manchester United’s top summer targets is adamant that he made the ‘better ‘decision to join RB Leipzig despite interest from the Red Devils.

Slovenian star Benjamin Sesko was a player that attracted huge interest from Man Utd manager Erik Ten Hag and the forward is tipped to follow in the footsteps of fellow Red Bull Salzburg alumni Erling Haaland.

The striker emerged as a teenage sensation during the 2020/21 season when he scored 21 goals in 29 appearances in the Austrian second division.

He translated that form into the top-flight for Red Bull Salzburg last season and scored an impressive 16 goals from 30 league appearances as his side lifted the title.

Sesko’s impressive form at club level also garnered international recognition and he has already made 22 appearances for Slovenia whilst scoring seven goals.

Sesko scored his first goal for Slovenia when he was just 18-years-old - breaking the record for his nation’s youngest ever goalscorer.

Throughout this time Sesko has often been compared to Man City star Erling Haaland both due to his Red Bull Salzburg links and his physical attributes as he stands at 6ft4 and is blessed with exceptional pace.

Sesko told Transfermarkt that he is flattered by the comparisons to Haaland but describes himself as a very different footballer in terms of style.

He said: “You compare me to someone who is one of the best players in the world.

“The only thing that makes us somewhat comparable is size. But we have a completely different style of play. I like him as a player, but I don’t like comparing myself to anyone. I just want to be myself.”

The striker was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United this summer and they were in the market for a goalscorer to cover for the bombshell departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in November 2022.

However, the Red Devils opted to sign Rasmus Hojlund for £72m from Atalanta with Sesko making the move to Germany with RB Leipzig.

Sesko has described the move as the better decision for him at this stage of his career.

Speaking of the Man Utd links, he said: “The thing is, I wasn’t really involved in these kinds of conversations. But I think it was better to come here.

“It was very important for me to go to a place that plays a similar style of football. I already knew what I had to do and didn’t have to go through a whole learning process again.”

Sesko has made a strong start to life in Germany and has scored two goals in his opening four league appearances. He also netted a goal on his Champions League debut for RB Leipzig as they secured a 3-1 away win at BSC Young Boys.

The 20-year-old was a champion in Austria last year and he is hoping to repeat this feat at his new club and dethrone reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

RB Leipzig host Bayern Munich on 30 September in their biggest test of the season so far.

Sesko explained: “Everything is on us. We have to perform. We have to show that we can win the games. It’s obviously a lot of games. We have to be 100 per cent or even more every single game because the games are every third or fourth day.

“But as I said, we have a really good team, I think we have a big chance this year.”