Who is Benjamin Sesko? Striker makes Man Utd decision as Newcastle scramble for Isak replacement
Man Utd continue to look for a new striker and they are said to be the club of choice for one of Europe’s hottest prospects.
Benjamin Sesko is the textbook Red Bull success story which is why he is perfect for Manchester United.
The 22-year old is an analyst’s favourite in that he ticks all the right boxes and every big club in Europe has been tracking the Slovenia international for years. At 6ft 5inches tall, he stands out from the crowd and failures of the past should dissuade United from signing another young striker even if Fabrizio Romano has named other potential targets.
Bryan Mbeumo finally arrived from Brentford and maverick Matheus Cunha will also add goals to Ruben Amorim’s forward line, however, according to Alex Young of The Standard, after losing out to Liverpool for Hugo Ekitike, Newcastle United could miss out again for another striker target with Sesko said to prefer a move to United. But who is the towering Slovenian?
Who is Manchester United target Benjamin Sesko?
Sesko was destined for the top from an early age and signed for RB Salzburg from Domzale in his homeland when he was just 16 years old. As they do, Salzburg loaned the talented teen straight out to their feeder/second team FC Lierfering where he promptly scored 22 goals in 44 games.
This form saw Salzburg promote Sesko, still a teenager, into their first team with international recognition also coming the same season. At 22, Sesko already has 41 caps. Another impressive goal contribution rate of better than one every two games for Salzburg saw Sesko moved up the RB family tree to Leipzig for a few of around £20m.
The towering striker, with a £62m release clause, has continued a similar ratio for the Bundesliga outfit and is no one season wonder having gradually climbed the European football ladder. Completely different to the respective CVs of Joshua Zirkee and Rasmus Hojlund. Something that Rio Ferdinand disagrees with.
Is Ferdinand right about Sesko assessment?
The former United defender is keen for his old club to find more experience up front rather than the project signings of recent years.
“I think you've got to look at the here and now at the moment with Man United. That's what I said about a No 9,” Ferdinand admitted on his YouTube channel. I'm not really doubting [Sesko] as a player. I'm saying Man United need experience at the top of the pitch.
“They've got Hojlund, they've got Zirkzee, they've got Chido. Young, inexperienced players. They need someone to look at and go, ‘That's how you play as a No 9. That's how you do it.’ When you're going to buy somebody who hasn't got as much experience as I'd like, I think that's another risk. Is it worth taking with inexperienced players at this level?”
This is where Ferdinand is wrong. Sesko isn’t inexperienced. Yes, he is young, but he’s been playing senior football for six seasons (over 200 games) and international football for four years with 30 appearances in Europe under his belt too, almost all of them in the Champions League.
Hojlund and Zirkee were gambles, but Sesko has served his apprenticeship and is ready for the step up. Arsenal were tracking him for years only to change direction at the last minute and sign Viktor Gyokeres, United have the chance to make them regret it.