Zlatan Ibrahimovic was an inspirational Manchester United signingplaceholder image
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was an inspirational Manchester United signing | West Bromwich Albion FC via Getty
The Man Utd transfer target grew up idolising the former Old Trafford hero.
The small town of Radeče situated in eastern Slovenia, does not have many distinguishing features. It is located on the bank of the Sava River, and boasts both a church and a former castle that has now been transformed into a school. Over the last thirty years, the population has steadily decreased too, last recorded at just 1,949 inhabitants.
It could soon boast a significant landmark, though. The birthplace of Manchester United’s next star striker, the man tasked with the important duty of converting their chances into goals.
Benjamin Sesko might not be Premier League-proven like Ollie Watkins, but he has an impressive CV, and there is plenty of untapped potential for him to become even better. It would be quite the journey for the child from rural Slovenia who grew up idolising Zlatan Ibrahimovic to follow in his footsteps with a move to Old Trafford.
Like so many young children, Sesko always had a love for football. He would regularly attend matches with his father, and it wasn't long before he was playing for local side NK Radeče. Such was his talent, he almost always played a couple of age groups above, hungry to test himself at the highest level possible.
"From the beginning, when he joined the club, he showed talent," his first coach, Jernej Čeh, told 24ur. "Of course, there are many talented people in the younger selections, but in reality, only a small percentage of football players succeed. Even when he didn't have his own training, he would most often come to the field. Or when there was a training session for another selection, he would come and shoot at the goal, as well as play basketball."
It wasn't long before he was on the move to Krško and then to NK Domžale. At the age of just 16, he left Slovenia for Austria when he moved to RB Salzburg. United were also looking at him that summer, but chose not to match the €2million fee agreed by Salzburg.
He was also looked at again in 2022 but chose to join fellow Red Bull-owned side Leipzig, and opted to remain at the club when United enquired about him last summer and eventually signed Joshua Zirkzee instead.
"He always stood out. He could practically decide the match at any time," Čeh added. "Despite the fact that he was a year younger at the beginning, he was at least equal to those a year older, or even stood out from most of them. He was tall for his age, fast and resourceful, and above all, he had a strong shot for his age even then."
Sesko was just 13 when Ibrahimovic moved to Old Trafford, and the Slovenian youngster idolised the way he played. Like him, the former United striker managed to marry technical ability with his imposing physical frame. A proposed move to Manchester this summer would allow him to follow in his idol’s footsteps.
“One guy I actually loved the most, of course besides Ronaldo and the guys always in the front page, was Ibrahimovic,” Sesko previously told CBS Sports.
“For me this a role model and the guy I watched unbelievable a lot. He’s different than me, yes, but just some situations, sometimes I try to copy because he’s always been amazing. Just the way he is, I liked it always.”
At such a young age, Sesko will have to channel the confidence and self-belief of Ibrahimovic if he is to have the same seismic impact at United in his debut season. The fact that he has already risen from obscurity to become one of the leading talents in European football, suggests he has the character to do so at the very least.
"Of course, we are all happy for him," Čeh concluded. "We have been following him since he left the club. His success does not surprise us, as we believed that he could succeed. If you watch him play, you can quickly see how fast and skillful he is, especially considering his height. And I think that is his greatest strength."
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