Benjamin Sesko is on the brink of finalising a big-money transfer to Man United on the back of scoring 21 goals for RB Leipzig last season.
George is a Senior Football Writer for the Manchester Evening News, mostly covering Manchester United. He previously worked for football.london before joining the MEN team in July 2021. As well as covering United, George is a Championship-enthusiast and co-hosts The Championship Chat Podcast (@Champchatpod24), which you can find on all major podcast platforms.
Manchester United are on the cusp of wrapping up the signing of Benjamin Sesko.(Image: Maja Hitij/Getty Images.)
‘Take me home, United road’ is a pre-match staple at Old Trafford nowadays.
And incoming signing Benjamin Sesko is poised to hear Manchester United fans belt it out for the very first time ahead of Saturday’s pre-season finale against Fiorentina.
The plan is for him to be unveiled to his new army of supporters ahead of the clash with the Italian side, similarly to the way Rasmus Hojlund was presented to the fans ahead of United’s penultimate pre-season friendly of the summer against RC Lens two years ago.
Like Hojlund, there is also a very high probability Sesko will make his United debut against Arsenal. Furthermore, they have also ended up at Old Trafford via spells in Austria.
With the duo sharing a cluster of similarities, United supporters will just be hoping Sesko is more potent inside the penalty area. The Slovenian is on the cusp of joining the club from RB Leipzig in a deal that is going to cost £73.7million.
He arrived in Manchester on Thursday evening and is now in the process of putting the finishing touches to the move. He will become United’s fourth signing of the summer and their third new addition to the attacking department.
After finishing last season with a negative goal difference of -10, United have prioritised attacking signings this summer. Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo arrived from Wolves and Brentford on the back of highly successful seasons, scoring 17 and 20 goals respectively.
Sesko is on the brink of joining the Reds on the back of a 21-goal season in Germany. Given he did not turn 22 until the very end of May, 21 goals in a season at the age of 21 marked a respectable haul.
It marked the second time he had smashed his way through the 20-goal barrier in a single season in his senior career. He scored 13 times in the Bundesliga and chipped in with four goals apiece in the Champions League and DFB-Pokal.
Benjamin Sesko had a successful 2024/25 campaign at RB Leipzig.(Image: Sebastian El-Saqqa – firo sportphoto/Getty Images.)
He previously went beyond the 20-goal barrier in 2020/21, also scoring 21 times, during a season-long loan spell at FC Liefering in the Austrian second division.
In comparison, Hojlund has never scored 20 goals or more in a single season in his senior career. His best return in a single campaign is 16 – a landmark he reached in his first season at United and previously in the 2022/23 campaign.
Hojlund’s record in his first season at Old Trafford was very respectable. Considering he had joined United injured and immediately found himself at the top of the pecking order with no adequate support in his department, it was a promising maiden season at the club.
However, he regressed last season, scoring just ten goals, of which only four of them were scored in the Premier League. United need to be able to rely on a striker who is capable of scoring 20 goals a season, and Hojlund does not look like being that player.
With the exception of Erling Haaland, whose record can only be described as freakish, not many young strikers have arrived in the Premier League in recent seasons and immediately hit the ground running by scoring a lorry load of goals.
There is no guarantee of Sesko, despite being compared with Haaland, following in the Norwegian’s footsteps, but United will take confidence from the fact he has smashed his way through the 20-goal-a-season barrier – and so recently.
Benjamin Sesko will bring a new dynamic to Manchester United.(Image: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images.)
At the age of 22, the weight of pressure on Sesko’s shoulders will be unlike anything he has experienced before. Few positions in world football are scrutinised as much as the centre-forward position at United.
Sesko built up a respectable record at Leipzig, scoring 39 goals in 87 games. His Bundesliga record stands at 27 goals in 64 games.
Signing him for such an eye-watering fee, United will demand instant results from him. However, they will take comfort from the fact he will be playing alongside two attackers so well-versed in the Premier League – and that could make a world of difference.
Hojlund, by contrast, did not have that luxury. He was brought in to be the main man with no support acts.
The pair of them have taken similar routes to Old Trafford, and they could both make their debuts against the same opponent. United will just be hoping the end result is different.
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