Man Utd’s Benjamin Sesko alternative costs less than half as much and is better for Ruben Amorim

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After signing Bryan Mbeumo in a saga that stretched more than a month, the quest to add more goals to an anaemic team continues for Ruben Amorim.

Man Utd’s striker search was dealt a hammer blow early on when their priority target Liam Delap chose Chelsea instead.

Since then, the search has gone into a tailspin since budgetary constraints made it impossible for them to compete for the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen, and more.

The latest in that conveyor belt of names to be linked with a move to Old Trafford is Benjamin Sesko, a name familiar to Man Utd fans due to the club’s long-term interest in him.

However, there is a player out there who is not getting nearly as much traction when he could be twice as suitable at half the price.

Man Utd need a Benjamin Sesko alternative

Sesko is extremely highly-rated, earning comparisons to Erling Haaland due to their similar physique and career path, and having admirers at United in the form of Christopher Vivell.

However, two major things count against him. First is the asking price. Even if Leipzig are ready to talk at the £60m-mark, that’s beyond the reach of a club in United’s financial condition.

Secondly, even if they managed to gather that money for Sesko by making some sales, they will be getting a player who is still more about potential than ability.

For all the comparisons to Haaland, the Norwegian had made the Bundesliga his playing ground at a similar age when he was at Dortmund.

Sesko, in contrast, scored 13 league goals last summer and often shows the raw edges of his game that could translate poorly to the Premier League.

Currently, the idea of Sesko is far more attractive than the reality of him, and United should be far removed from paying for potential in that position. They did that with Rasmus Hojlund, and nobody needs telling how that turned out.

Jean Philippe-Mateta is the no-brainer Sesko alternative

Sesko will cost £60m, and that’s the lower end of the spectrum of negotiations. In stark contrast, Crystal Palace forward Jean Philippe-Mateta has a reported asking price of about £26m.

Even if Palace drove a hard bargain, paying up to £35m should be easily acceptable to United because he’s such a perfect fit for Ruben Amorim. It beggars belief that the club haven’t gone for him.

Firstly is his suitability to the Premier League, where he follows Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo’s footsteps in being a Sir Alex Ferguson-type signing.

Sesko scored 13 in Germany last season. Mateta got 14 in the Premier League itself. With his signing, United will add nearly 50 Premier League goals (Mbeumo – 20, Cunha- 15, Mateta – 14) to a side that scored 44 in total last season.

Then comes the playing style, as Mateta’s ability to smartly combine running into the channels and linking up the play is the perfect fit alongside goalscoring No. 10s like Cunha and Mbeumo.

Most importantly, at 28, United will see the peak years of Mateta at Old Trafford, but he’s not so young that he stands in the way of United’s rich striking talent in the academy.

It is easy to envision a scenario where Mateta holds the fort at United for three or four years, before Chido Obi is ready to take the mantle, with Joshua Zirkzee a fine squad option.

The likes of Obi, Gabriele Biancheri, and Louie Bradbury in the more distant future harbour ambitions of playing for the first team.

Getting a 22-year-old project striker in the same timeline as those players is counter-productive. United have potential in abundance; they need an immediate contributor.

Mateta is the no-brainer Sesko alternative.