Manchester United’s exciting summer signing, Benjamin Sesko, has yet to get his first goal for the club, but his all-around game has given optimism that he will be a success.
During the 2025/26 summer transfer window, signing a new number nine quickly emerged as priority position for Ineos to strengthen.
Goals were the biggest problem last season, with Rasmus Hojlund scoring just 10 in 52 games, with the Dane failing to do the basics of football at Manchester United.
When it came time to sign a striker, Benjamin Sesko emerged as the top target, with United having missed out on the budget option of Liam Delap, dodging a bullet in the process.
Sesko joined United for £66m in August, with his top potential having the ability to make this deal look like a bargain in the future if he develops as expected.
Despite no goals, Sesko has impressed Harry Maguire and his other teammates, with his hold-up play and aerial ability a massive upgrade on what the club had previously.
After a frustrating night against Chelsea where he could and should have got a goal, Rio Ferdinand has been discussing Sesko and the steps he must take to be a success.
Benjamin Sesko needs to make a statement like Ruud van Nistelrooy did at Manchester United
Sesko has looked the part so far in his limited time as the striker of Manchester United, but he has been impacted by a lack of creativity and chances coming his way.
Before the season started, we expected Sesko to be better placed to succeed than Hojlund, however, the same issues of poor decision making are creeping in.
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel, the legendary defender has stated that Sesko needs to be more assertive in telling his team to pass to him, like a certain Ruud van Nistelrooy once did.
“I think the responsibility goes to the striker now. In today’s game, there is enough at your disposal, technology-wise and clip-wise, that he can get it in black and white on an iPad and say, ‘When you got in that position, look where I am.’
“Amad, at the weekend, who I thought played well, was in a great position on the left side. Sesko pulled off the defender in the 18-yard box; he’s about 10 yards out. Amad’s just gotta roll it to him.
“He needs to be saying, ‘I’ll be there every time, when you get in that position, I will be here, so play it blind and I’ll be there, if I’m not there, then you can moan at me’.
“These are the conversations he needs to have because I know that Ruud was having them. I’ve seen Ruud van Nistelrooy walk in off the training field because Ronaldo did too many step-overs, and he wasn’t playing it where he wanted it. He made a point of belittling Cristiano in front of the whole squad.
“That will be the making of him.”
While Sesko can be mentioning this, Ruben Amorim should ultimately be hammering it home to his players. Sir Alex Ferguson made sure United were passing to Robin van Persie.
Benjamin Sesko has been quietly impressive for Manchester United
Sesko’s start to life at United has been slow, however, he should be delighted with his efforts.
Having not had a proper pre-season, Sesko’s first two starts came against Manchester City and Chelsea, as he held his own in both and for example looked miles better than Viktor Gyokeres against City.
Per 90 this season, Sesko has one of the highest expected assist tallies in the league for a striker, is the best long ball passer and one of the best aerially.
All of this shows he is a talented footballer and the goals will be the final piece and cherry on top for Sesko once they start flowing. Once Matheus Cunha is back in the team, we expect that goal opportunities for Sesko will begin to pile up.
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