Manchester United have completed their fourth major signing of the summer following the acquisitions of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbuemo and Diego Leon, with 22-year-old Slovenian striker Benjamin Sesko making the switch to Old Trafford for an initial £66.6M from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig. After a dire 2024/2025 season in front of goal that saw the Red Devils find the net just 44 times in 38 Premier League games, coach Ruben Amorim has set about revamping his team’s attack. Let’s examine what the former Leipzig and RB Salzburg forward will bring to the misfiring Europa League finalists.
Benjamin Sesko’s Potential Impact At Old Trafford
Goalscoring Ability
The bottom line is that the Red Devils require someone to put the ball in the back of the net on a consistent basis, having scored just 44 goals in 38 Premier League games as Amorim’s side endured a torrid 2024/25 campaign, finishing in a record-low 15th place. Sesko has a proven record of goals, a very respectable 39 goals in 87 appearances in two seasons at Leipzig underlying his credentials as a central striker.
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Blessed with a powerful shot, dynamic off-the-ball movement and aerial ability, befitting of someone measuring 1.95m (6’5), his penalty-box presence evokes comparisons with his idol Zlatan Ibrahimović. The Swede himself was a popular figure in the club’s recent history, scoring 29 goals in 53 appearances over a successful two-year period in M16. Amorim and the Manchester United fanbase will hope that the Slovenian matches him in output as well as stature.
Benjamin Sesko’s Link-Up Play
Aside from goalscoring output, Sesko is also reputed for his ability to connect phases of play, dropping deep to connect with the midfield and peeling out into channels to enable others to flood the penalty box. Whilst his main remit will be as a penalty box presence and a focal point for the Red Devils, his ability to link play, retain possession and hold the ball up will allow him to dovetail with fellow summer arrivals Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbuemo.
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He will vacate space for his fellow forwards to drive into, thus adding another dimension to the team’s attack which was badly missing last season with Rasmus Hojlund leading the line.
Room for Improvement
Sesko endured a difficult 2024/25 in the Bundesliga, his struggles aligned with those of a floundering Leipzig team that limped into seventh position in the Bundesliga and missed out on European football entirely. Despite a lower output on both a collective and personal level, the 22-year-old still managed 21 goals in 45 games in all competitions, a sign that the Slovenian possesses the temperament and mentality to remain focused even when things aren’t going well.
United fans therefore have the right to be excited about their new attacking acquisition, but caution is advised. Whilst his ceiling is high, Sesko is still raw, and it remains to be seen whether his prowess can translate to the Premier League. As with both Cunha and Mbuemo, he arrives having considerably outperformed his expected goals (xG) in his two seasons in Germany (27 goals from just 17.6xG), suggesting that a lower total in his first season in England would not be a surprise. If the former Leipzig man can fulfil his considerable potential as well as the elevated expectations of the Old Trafford crowd, the comparisons with his idol Ibrahimovic may not seem so far-fetched after all.
