Ferdinand shares expectations for Man United
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New York Times
28 minutes ago
- New York Times
Are Manchester United right to pick Benjamin Sesko as their main striker target?
Manchester United's striker search appears to favour youth over experience after The Athletic reported that they are prioritising a move for RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko. Talks between United and the Bundesliga club are still in the preliminary phases, but 22-year-old Sesko has been deemed a more suitable fit for Ruben Amorim's 3-4-3 and his vision for the future. Advertisement Sesko's Leipzig deal runs until 2029. When he signed that new contract last year, it came with the understanding that if an elite club — by his definition — offered in the region of €80million-€90million (£69m to £78m; $92m to $103m), Leipzig would allow him to leave. There are many things to discuss as a possible deal progresses, but for now, let's discuss the tactical reasons Sesko might make sense for United. Age: 22 Appearances 2024-25: 45 in all competitions (playing 3,258 minutes), 33 in the Bundesliga (2,389 minutes) Goals in 2024-25: 21 in all competitions, 13 in the Bundesliga Quick description for your group chat: 'He's a big, burly lad with a cannon of a shot. Runs a bit like a motorboat with a funky rudder.' Sesko can do things most strikers can only pull off when playing computer games. He is also prone to doing things like this. The 22-year-old Slovenian striker may be the biggest, roughest and shiniest diamond operating towards the top of Europe's top five leagues. This summer marks the third time United have been interested, first assessing him in 2019 when he emerged at NK Domzale's senior team at 16, before monitoring him throughout the 2022-23 season, when he scored 16 goals in 30 games in the Austrian Bundesliga for Red Bull Salzburg. In 2025, he has developed into a sledgehammer of a striker. He combines straight-line speed, powerful finishing and sheer bloody-mindedness to become a forward that centre-backs hate playing against. A speedy, 195cm/6ft 5in striker who spent a brief period tearing up the Austrian league before moving to the Bundesliga, Sesko has earned some comparisons to Erling Haaland. Sesko is not quite at that level, but has plenty of the raw materials to suggest he could reach it. His shot map from 2023-24 illustrates a striker happy to go for goal wherever and whenever. Left foot, right foot, headers. Long-range cannons and plenty of pingers within the penalty box. Sesko is a confident striker, but is lacking the consistency needed to become a prolific one. He is prone to forcing the issue when in front of goal, hammering the ball with extra venom when trying to make it through a crowd of bodies. His right-footed finishes when shooting from the left half-space need work, as does his movement within the six-yard box, but he has the presence and quickness of mind to have defenders regularly second-guessing themselves. Fittingly for a striker at a Red Bull club, Sesko feasts in open space, leaving defenders in his dust when carrying the ball on a counter-attack. Bruno Fernandes tends to aim his through balls on the diagonal, but Sesko is so big and so quick, the United captain will make some adjustments. RB Leipzig take an early lead away at Atletico Madrid through Benjamin Sesko 🔥 That counter-attack though 👀 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 19, 2024 In addition, Sesko developed a knack for dropping deep and helping link play in recent seasons. Sesko is too good for us to say he has 'good feet for a big man', but not quite good enough with his link-up play or back-to-goal game to compare him to Alexander Isak or Harry Kane. Still, he's got time on his side, has the physique, and knows how to use the sharp corners of his body to bully defenders. He is good in the air and has a reasonable degree of skill to wriggle past an aggressive defender when dribbling. His shot is so hard that if you try to back off him to attempt a block, the ball is going to leave a stinging mark — or fly into the top corner (below in Leipzig's 4-2 win against Werder Bremen in January). If this were 2005, Sesko would be put up top alongside a nippy in-the-box striker in a 4-4-2, with both men scoring 15 or so goals apiece. In 2025, Sesko looks capable of getting 15 goals on his own as a lone striker — the question is whether he can get his goals at a steady enough clip and help team-mates maximise their attacking verve at the same time. Advertisement Sesko is scary. He's raw in places, but can be such a handful that his presence can unnerve defenders. That's rather handy if you have players as skilled as Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo looking to pounce. United have previously bought 'project' strikers that didn't work out and it can be easy to ignore the player Sesko is today and focus on the player he might become if given time and proper tutelage. To be clear, Sesko at 22 has played more senior football than his United counterpart, Rasmus Hojlund — but there is no guarantee he will avoid the same confidence-sapping malaise that has affected Hojlund and other strikers at Old Trafford. Perhaps because of his wide array of talents, Sesko's decision-making is best when he has less time to think about what complicated move he might try, and instead does the simple thing in front of him. Sesko can lack subtlety in his shooting, meaning defenders can find it easy to block his shots, while goalkeepers can move to stop his Thierry Henry-like attempts at the far post. He is prone to rushes of blood to the head, getting so excited that he has beaten one defender that he opts to put his head down and shoot, rather than pick his head up and look for an easy pass (below against Wolfsburg is a good example) All of this can be refined with proper coaching and a good team around him. There is a very good chance that when he is 29, Sesko will be a better striker than Ollie Watkins currently is, and might even rank among the world's best. The problem is whether you trust modern-day Manchester United to nurture such a player. The price for his services will be high. The tactical fit within Amorim's 3-4-3 is promising, but not seamless. In short: Sesko is a striker with sky-high potential, but there is a considerable risk when signing such a player for a club like United. He has the physical tools to adjust to life in the Premier League, but no one knows for sure whether he will have the 'above shoulders' temperament to deal with the scrutiny of life at Old Trafford. Age: 29 (turns 30 in December) Appearances 2024-25: 54 in all competitions (playing 3,578 minutes), 38 in the Premier League (2,610 minutes) Goals in 2024-25: 17 in all competitions, 16 in the Premier League Quick description for your group chat: 'He's a Ronseal striker. You know exactly what you're going to get.' Advertisement In June, The Athletic explained whether Watkins was suitable for United or not. Signing him would give Amorim three of the best attacking players from outside the Premier League's top five from last season. Five seasons of Premier League football have seen Watkins progress from a rough-and-ready channel runner into a striker of prowess. His appeal lies in his preference to play on the last line of the opposition's defence. Data from SkillCorner illustrates how often Watkins looks to run in behind defences. No Premier League striker made runs in behind a bigger portion of their attacking diet last season — Watkins has the pace and nous to pin centre-backs and have them turning towards their own goal. This creates additional space in front of the opposition penalty area where Cunha, Mbeumo, Fernandes and others could have — in theory — flourished. However, even if Watkins is a refined talent, there are question marks over how much he would cost and his long-term suitability for Amorim's 3-4-3. Villa also told United early in the window that Watkins is not for sale and are adamant he is staying. United's decision-makers were reluctant to pay what they thought it might take for Villa to consider doing business. The £60million price they quoted Arsenal in January suggests they would want a considerable sum. Given his age, United would have likely spent at least £50million on Watkins this summer, before having to spend a similar fee again in two seasons on another striker. A possible move for Sesko represents a 'one and done' signing for United. If Sesko joins and is a success at Old Trafford (you should knock on wood as you read this sentence), then their striker search should be finished for the foreseeable future. If United manage to land a centre-forward, it would be the third consecutive summer they have purchased a No 9. Factor in the January 2023 move for Wout Weghorst and you can see an issue in club recruitment. Centre-forward has been a problem position for the United for several seasons. Watkins and Sesko are different kinds of strikers, as is Liam Delap, who United executives met before he signed for Chelsea. There is merit in having variance on a shortlist, but they have experimented too much on attacking purchases and perfected too little. Advertisement The United No 9 shirt weighs heavy, but United appear to have trouble reducing the tactical burdens for the person wearing it. Long-standing issues in central midfield and wide areas have meant the club do not reliably progress the ball into the final third in a way a top-level striker would like. United also have trouble keeping the ball in the final third. Attacking moves often come undone by imprecise passing at crucial moments, or a weak collective press when looking to sustain pressure in the final third. Scoring goals for Manchester United is hard because a United striker often has one too many additional responsibilities on top of scoring. The majority of the top six clubs possess a striker who can finish their dinner and contribute to a team press. United strikers are asked to make meals from scratch before setting the table for confidence-starved team-mates around them. There's more than one way to improve a team's goalscoring. Sesko could help, but Amorim and United's recruitment team have much more work ahead of them.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Luke Shaw says he felt like he was letting Manchester United down with injury troubles
Luke Shaw has said he felt like he was letting Manchester United down by being injured for extended periods last season, revealing he had not experienced those levels of problems before in his career. Shaw said it was a 'really stressful' time, but believes he is over the issues now and has praised Ruben Amorim for being supportive through the process. Advertisement United were without Shaw for 46 games last season. He sustained a calf injury last summer that kept him out from the start of the campaign until Amorim's arrival in November, then after three substitute appearances in a row he picked up another muscle problem which stopped him from playing until April 13. During that time, he even spent some weeks in Doha, Qatar, to try to remedy, with United's blessing. Shaw played nine more games, including starting the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, and he has declared himself 'very happy' with his fitness as he undergoes pre-season in the United States. Amorim called Shaw 'world class' during a press conference ahead of the Premier League Summer Series friendly against West Ham United, which the 30-year-old found a huge boost. 'It was quite unexpected,' Shaw told reporters in the U.S. 'It's really nice to hear that, especially from the manager. He's been really good with me. 'He understands the problems I had last season, it was really tough. It's something I've not experienced. I know I've had a lot of injuries, but it was more mentally how tough it was. It was really tough. I won't go too much into that. 'I think last season it was one to forget. I've had injuries in the past, but last season it was different kind of injuries. It was horrible. 'It started with a calf and I've never had a calf injury in my life, so I was never used to that. It was just a completely different rehab and stuff. Things just kept happening. It was really stressful, but I'm grateful that I'm here now and I feel fit.' Shaw was absent for the entirety of the end of Erik ten Hag's reign, returning for Amorim's debut at Ipswich. 'I kind of felt like I let Erik down with the injuries and stuff,' Shaw conceded. 'I wasn't there for him towards the end, and that wasn't nice. 'Then, when the new manager comes in and we speak about different things, different aims for the rest of the season that we had, obviously then again I get injured. Advertisement 'A lot of last season, I just felt like I let a lot of people down, in the club and the team, because I was always injured. I might not have been but it was just something in my head where I found it really hard. I put a lot of blame on myself. 'The team and the manager were really good with me. Especially the manager, he stuck by me.' Shaw does retain confidence in his abilities. 'I know I must have it because every manager always plays me,' he said. 'I feel like I must be doing something right.' Amorim has preferred to play Shaw as a left-sided centre-half, rather than a wing-back. 'I really like this formation,' said Shaw. 'I've spoken a lot about left-centre back or left-wing back, just in general with a lot of people asking me the same question. Not too much with the manager, to be fair. 'I don't mind wherever the manager wants me to play. I'm happy to play anywhere. I think at the moment, I've been playing left-centre this pre-season so we'll have to see if that carries on.' Shaw has bold ambitions still. 'Of course, our aim for the season is — after last season, it might sound a bit ridiculous — but we want to be winning the Premier League,' he added. 'We should have those ambitions. Not just me individually, but the whole team. We all have to have the same ambitions and all push for that. 'It's Man United and we need to be having those aims. Otherwise, there's no point in being here, you know? I think it's the biggest club in the world and it needs to have the biggest ambitions. 'I feel real happiness right now. I don't want to keep banging on about last season but I couldn't have got any lower. 'So, I think right now, I feel really good, really happy with great people around me in the team and a really good manager. 'I can't feel any better, to be honest. I'm really looking forward to this season. I've got big ambitions this season, so I'm looking to fulfil them.'
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Manchester United prioritising Benjamin Sesko
Manchester United are prioritising a move for RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko if they sign a striker this summer. The Old Trafford club have made informal contact with their Bundesliga counterparts after Sesko emerged as their preferred option. Newcastle United are also targeting the 22-year-old as their top candidate. That interest comes amid Alexander Isak wanting to leave St James' Park and has accelerated the actions of Manchester United. Advertisement The Athletic reported on July 29 that United had narrowed their striker search to the 22-year-old and Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins and were exploring the costs of both potential deals. Watkins has admirers at Old Trafford but Villa told United early in the window that the 29-year-old is not for sale and are adamant he is staying. The United hierarchy are reluctant to pay what they thought it may have taken for Villa to consider doing business. United have already added two attacking reinforcements this summer with Matheus Cunha arriving from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bryan Mbeumo joining from Brentford. They previously held an interest in Sesko before his move to Red Bull Salzburg but, back in 2019, United viewed a €3million price as excessive. Sesko's Leipzig deal runs until 2029, having signed a new contract last year. When he signed that new deal, it came with the understanding that if an elite club — by his definition — offered in the region of €80m-€90m (£69m to £78m), Leipzig would allow him to leave. The Slovenia international joined Leipzig in 2023 from Red Bull Salzburg, with both clubs owned by the Red Bull GmbH conglomerate. He has made 87 appearances for Leipzig, scoring 39 goals and providing eight assists. He made his senior Slovenia debut the day after his 18th birthday and has scored 16 goals in 41 games, representing his nation at the 2024 European Championship. Additional reporting: Seb Stafford-Bloor and Adam Crafton Analysis by Manchester United correspondent Laurie Whitwell United's decision to go for Sesko over Watkins is fascinating in so many ways. This will be the more expensive of the deals, but would bring in a young player to complement the more established Premier League signings in Cunha and Mbeumo. United will hope he develops into the world-class striker he has shown promise to be. Advertisement United have years of scouting on him. They first looked at signing Sesko as a 16-year-old from Domzale in 2019, but failed to match the €2million fee agreed by Salzburg. They also held conversations in 2022 but Sesko preferred to agree to move to Leipzig for his pathway. United also made an approach last summer before signing Joshua Zirkzee, but Sesko opted to stay. United are planning to make it fourth time lucky, but Sesko will cost a lot more than the price from six years ago. Figuring out how United afford that will come down to sales yet to be realised, and hard negotiations with Leipzig are expected. Rasmus Hojlund's future will come into sharper focus. Christopher Vivell, United's director of recruitment, is influential on this proposed transfer. He was at Salzburg and Leipzig in executive roles when the Sesko deals were agreed, and has advocated for United making another move now. Watkins represents as guaranteed a Premier League option as possible, but United are going for a player who could spend a decade at the club if all goes well. Analysis by German football writer Seb Stafford-Bloor Reasonably well, but it was not the season he needed to produce to assuage the doubts. While his overall level of performance improved in the broader sense, with Sesko becoming more connected with the rest of the Leipzig side, his goalscoring numbers were down. He scored one fewer Bundesliga goal (13) in 2024-25 than he did the year before, despite playing almost an extra 900 minutes. He was never able to replicate that seven-game streak from the previous year, either, meaning that it felt underwhelming as a result, despite some eye-catching goals (particularly against Bayern Munich at the Red Bull Arena). But Leipzig had a bad season. They sacked Marco Rose in March, limped to their lowest finish since being promoted to the Bundesliga in 2016 and only won one game of their eight Champions League games. That's valuable context. Nevertheless, consistency was still an issue for Sesko and the gap between his best performances and his worst, which is a historic criticism, remains too wide.
