Jason Wilcox has hailed Benjamin Sesko’s impact on fellow attacking players in the team, even though the Slovenia international has yet to grab the headlines as a Manchester United player.
Manchester United made five new signings in the summer.
Director of football Jason Wilcox was kept busy ensuring that United made the right calls in terms of recruitment. The two prime examples of that are Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, who have both hit the ground running at Old Trafford.
There is no denying that Mbeumo and Cunha have benefited from having Premier League experience before joining the club. That is why players like Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens should be given time to adjust to the toughest league in Europe.
Jason Wilcox backs Benjamin Sesko to become ‘amazing’
Wilcox believes Sesko has had a positive impact on fellow new signings Cunha and Mbeumo.
Sesko has scored two goals in 11 games since moving to Old Trafford, but he has started back-to-back games since being left out of the line-up for United’s 2-1 win over Liverpool in October.
United drew 2-2 with Nottingham Forest last weekend, with several players criticised for their underwhelming performance. Former club captain Gary Neville was critical of Sesko’s performance and said he looks ‘awkward’.
However, Wilcox has defended Sesko on the latest episode of United’s official podcast Inside Carrington.
Wilcox believes the Slovenia striker will become an ‘amazing player’ and notes that the runs he is making are helping Cunha and Mbuemo.
The football director adds that the new signings, as well as those from last year, are top professionals.
“Benji, at the top end, he’s going to be an amazing player,” Wilcox said.
“It’s difficult to be the no.9 at United and I know sometimes that Matheus and Bryan are getting a lot of credit, but the runs that Benji is making is also helping Matheus and Bryan as well. All four of them have done really well, the summer signings from last year, they are top professionals.”
While Cunha has scored just one goal since joining United, the Brazilian’s performances have been encouraging.
The most impressive player from United’s five new signings has been Mbeumo, scoring five goals since the beginning of the season.
They will hope to build on their form when United travel to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Jason Wilcox’s long-term goal for Man Utd
United are working towards building a team that can achieve long-term success.
Ineos have prioritised younger players in the transfer market, but Ruben Amorim remains reliant on experienced players like Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro.
Speaking about the long-term project, Wilcox added: “We’ve just got to continue to build the spirit, continue to build on Ruben’s idea. Ruben has got a very clear idea. It’s a lot more flexible, the idea, than what people give it credit for. We have got to start with the end in mind and understand the game model, how Manchester United are, it is really important and we have to put the jigsaw pieces together.
“Putting the jigsaw pieces together, we would love to have all of the pieces in place where we can see a very, very clear picture but, whilst we are building and whilst we are building the picture, it is even more difficult when you lose some football matches because people start questioning things. But we are really clear, myself and Ruben, Omar [Berrada], the ownership, we are really clear on the direction of travel and this is really important.”
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