Former Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick once revealed his true feelings about Benjamin Sesko, with the Slovenian set to become the Red Devils' new number nine. It was confirmed on Thursday that United had agreed a deal with RB Leipzig for the 22-year-old, beating Premier League rivals Newcastle to the highly touted striker.
Sesko has been linked with a move to English football for a number of years now, with Arsenal linked with him at the beginning of the transfer window. But with a switch to Old Trafford firmly on the horizon, Rangnick's previous comments are now being revisited as the goalscorer looks to put an end to his new team's attacking woes.
The Austrian coach spoke highly of the Slovenian
Speaking ahead of a Nations League clash between Austria and Slovenia, Rangnick singled out the striker for praise when discussing what made his opponents so difficult to beat.
"They [Slovenia] didn’t concede a single goal from open play at the European Championship [Euro 2024], only one from a corner and one from a throw-in," the former United coach stated, as per the Manchester Evening News.
"You can see how difficult it is to create chances and score goals against them.
"This is a compact, close-knit team with an outstanding individual player in Benjamin Sesko. We have to try to play fast, bring in changes of rhythm, and defend as well as we can so that we don’t concede a goal ourselves."
Rangnick was known for his honest and at times brutal comments whilst interim manager at the Theatre of Dreams, stating that United needed 'open-heart surgery' to compete for top honours yet again. He also recommended several high-profile players for the club to sign, including both Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland prior to their moves to Manchester City.
Since then, the 20-time champions of England have signed a plethora of strikers, all of which are largely considered to have struggled. Wout Weghorst scored just two goals during his loan spell under Erik ten Hag, while Rasmus Hojlund has also failed to live up to the hype.
Joshua Zirkzee was brought in last summer but didn't turn out to be the number nine that United were looking for. Sesko though will be hoping to be the catalyst for change alongside fellow new additions Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.