Benjamin Sesko broke his goalscoring duck with a brilliant two-goal display vs Burnley, but he put Rasmus Hojlund to shame in 90 minutes by doing something else entirely.
The Benjamin Sesko vs Rasmus Hojlund debate has been reaching dishonest levels of argument of late to bring down the Man Utd striker.
Hojlund’s form at Napoli has been good, while Sesko has struggled at Old Trafford, but it was still comparing apples to oranges.
Who was your Man Utd MOTM vs Burnley?
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
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What actually needed to be compared is how Sesko is doing compared to Hojlund at United, and a remarkable comparison has emerged, which puts the Dane to shame.
Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty ImagesBenjamin Sesko makes a mockery of Rasmus Hojlund “feat”
Nobody is mistaking Sesko for a world-beater and the answer to all of United’s problems after a brace in one game, but the narrative underneath raw stats hasn’t been good.
Yes, Sesko has missed a lot of chances of late, but that’s an upgrade on the player who wasn’t even at the end of those chances last season.
Sesko’s movement and anticipation are top-notch, and it was clear that his scoring struggles were mental rather than a lack of technical ability.
Now that he has scored twice, the goals could flow, but even if they don’t, the fact that he made a mockery of Hojlund’s “feat” at United last should count for much more.
Sesko finished the game vs Burnley with a remarkable seven shots on target, accumulating an xG of 1.14 from his eight total shots.
That looks good even in isolation, but compare it to Hojlund’s shots on target in the whole of the Premier League last season, and Sesko’s numbers start to look borderline insane.
Will Benjamin Sesko WIN the “Sesko vs Hojlund” debate?
Is there even a debate to be had or has he already won it?
Benjamin Sesko shots on target vs Burnley compared to Rasmus Hojlund’s shots on target in 2024/25 season
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Hojlund finished the last season with a grand total of 13 shots on target throughout, so Sesko matched more than half his tally in a single game.
Anyone who still can’t see United upgraded over the summer is simply being ignorant at best, and dishonest at worst.
Sesko’s intangibles always made him worth backing
The goals arrived against Burnley, but they were the icing on the cake because even in poor performances, Sesko has shown that he’s a project worth backing.
His intangibles, like anticipation in the box, knowledge of last-man runs, and instinct in the box are extremely polished for his age.
He misses that killer instinct that will develop partly with games and partly with mental resilience as he starts scoring goals.
In the meantime, he has been far ahead of Hojlund, who had effectively become a “+1” passenger in the team by the time he left the club.
When Sesko is not scoring, he’s still helping the team and creating a nuisance of himself in the box, and that’s the platform to build his game on.
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