How do Watkins and Sesko compare to Hojlund?

BBC News

5 days ago

At present Rasmus Hojlund is Manchester United's first-choice centre-forward, but United have been linked with moves for both Benjamin Sesko and Ollie Watkins.While Hojlund scored just four goals in 32 Premier League games last season for United - and is yet to find the net in pre-season - both Sesko and Watkins posted much healthier 2024-25 figures. Sesko scored 13 in 33 top-flight appearances in Germany for RB Leipzig, while Watkins netted 16 in 38 for Aston Villa.When Hojlund signed for United in the summer of 2023, then-boss Erik ten Hag described him as "a real frontman" but both Watkins and Sesko offer more all-round games.
Watkins has an excellent assist record, while there is more to 6ft 5in Sesko than just a classic number nine. He is fast, comfortable receiving the ball to feet with his back to goal or hanging on the shoulder of the last defender and racing onto a through ball. Plus he can score goals of all types from all sorts of distances. He has outperformed both Watkins and Hojlund in several key metrics so far in his elite-level career.Indeed, of the three, Sesko has the best shot conversion rate and, at 22, offers equal longevity to Hojlund. If Ruben Amorim is looking for a player who provides a focal point and can compete in aerial duels, Sesko is also probably a better fit than Watkins, who is six inches shorter than the Slovenian and whose game is more about movement and runs into space.