START: For Leeds United's Max Wober, left.placeholder image
START: For Leeds United's Max Wober, left. | AFP via Getty Images
Benjamin Sesko’s frustrating start to the season with the international break not providing much respite either, this is how he got on for Slovenia.
Manchester United have been close to enjoying a good start to the season with the performances not yet getting the results that they deserve. New signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo have started all three Premier League games but mnutes have been more limited for Benjamin Sesko.
With just four shots and an xG (expected goals) tally of 0.38, the lack of goals is far from being the Slovenia international’s fault, even if his overall play could do with sharpening up. With Rasmus Hojlund agreeing a late move to Napoli, the no.9 jersey belongs to Sesko in a new-look United forward line that has been expensively assembled. Ruben Amorim can have no complaints after nearly £200m was spent to buy players who are better suited to his system and style of play.
How did Benjamin Sesko perform for Slovenia vs Switzerland?
Despite not long turning 22, Sesko already has over 40 caps for his country with 16 goals so far too, a decent return for a young player representing a team that is unlikely to dominate most games. At 6ft 5 inches tall he is a towering presence but he wasn’t able to give the Switzerland defence a torrid time in their World Cup qualifier.
According to Sports Media, it was a difficult night for the United striker: “Benjamin Sesko - 6.0: It was a lonely and frustrating night for the talented striker. He was completely isolated and starved of any decent service. We noticed he still showed flashes of his quality with a couple of smart touches but was given an impossible task.”
If Hojlund plays a certain number of games and Napoli qualify for the Champions League, the Serie A outfit will have to fork out £38m to sign the Dane on a permanent basis, almost half of what United paid originally. Add this to the losses made on Antony and Jadon Sancho, and it is easy to understand why there might be fears about the £73m paid for Sesko.
Could Sesko be the next Darwin?
According to tactical analyst Sam Maguire writing for FotMob, there are improvements that need to be made if the Red Devils’ new striker is to avoid becoming the next high profile flop: “The next question is whether or not he’s another Darwin (Nunez). A young striker with a huge xG overperformance in a foreign league who then can’t do it in the Premier League. That could be the case. We won’t know for a couple of years. But the fears are justified. Last season, Šeško netted 13 goals in the German top-flight from an xG haul of just 9.89. The season prior, he had 14 strikes to his name from an xG total of 7.66.
“Last term, 37% of his efforts in total arrived from outside of the area – viewed as low value attempts. In a nutshell, he hasn’t been great at getting into good areas on a reliable basis. He’s a low-volume shooter and his game needs a lot of refinement if he’s to do well in the Premier League. But there’s a lot for Amorim to work with. And despite the narrative that United are a bit of a shambles, the attack at Old Trafford is a good environment for Šeško to develop.”
There is a lot to like about Sesko, but he needs to adapt, how quickly he adapts could well determine how long he stays at Old Trafford and if he will follow the career of the striker that he has just replaced.
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