Manchester United’s game against Fiorentina was the end of their pre-season, but it was also the start of a new era, with Benjamin Sesko’s unveiling at the centre of it all.
Benjamin Sesko joined Man Utd on a five-year deal worth an initial £66m, and his combination of pace and power makes his potential a salivating prospect.
Ruben Amorim praises Sesko’s qualities after the game, saying in glee that they finally have a new striker now, but he was also keen to temper expectations due to his age.
The Man Utd manager said Sesko will realise something extremely important in his very first training session at Carrington.
Benjamin Sesko of Manchester United looks on as he is unveiled to Man Utd fans
Photo by Ben Roberts – Danehouse/Getty Images
Ruben Amorim on Benjamin Sesko’s start at Man Utd
Sesko is the same age as Rasmus Hojlund, but he comes with way more top-flight football experience than the Dane did when he arrived at Old Trafford.
More importantly, he will have a settled structure in place to empower him, with the manager having a clear style of play and a club clearly on the way up after the disaster of last season.
Those factors weren’t lost on Sesko when he made the decision to snub Newcastle’s proactive efforts to sign him, and Amorim said he’ll realise the same when he attends his first training at United.
Many Man Utd players have talked about a refreshed dressing room vibe at the club this pre-season, and Amorim promises Sesko he’ll see it too.
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He said: “He will realise during his first training that he is at the right place [for his development]. That’s really important. He has the characteristics that we needed.
“[Sesko] is a player that, with all the information that we have, we need to stop the guy from working. It’s not the opposite. So that is also important. He’s really young. He’s good in the air. He’s good running the channels. He’s good on the ball. So I think he has great potential.
“I think he can improve a lot. And for sure he’s going to feel at home in our club. He’s the right character to be in this group. So we are really, really happy to have him.”
Sesko is the ultimate bet to break Man Utd striker curse
As far as the No. 9 position is concerned, United have made every possible bet since the season Robin Van Persie gifted Sir Alex Ferguson his final league title.
From patchwork jobs like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Radamel Falcao, and Edinson Cavani, to young prospects like Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, or Rasmus Hojlund, nobody has been a bona fide success.
EARLY STARTER: Benjamin Sesko scored his first professional goal at just 16, playing in Austria’s second division.
CUP WINNER: Sesko played a key role as Red Bull Salzburg won the OFB Cup last season, scoring five goals in five matches, including the final.
INTERNATIONAL: The 19-year-old has two international goals already. One was against Malta and the other against a Serbia side featuring Dusan Tadic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
CONSISTENCY: Since joining Salzburg, Sesko averages a goal or assist every 86 minutes, per Statman Dave.
ROCKET: Sesko already has 34 professional club goals to his name, including two goals in three competitive matches this season.
DEMOLITION: He featured in the UEFA Youth League last season, scoring three times as Salzburg beat Napoli 7-2 and 5-1.
GOALSCORER: Sesko’s total of 11 goals and six assists last season came while starting just 12 games, the rest he appeared in as a substitute.
Sesko, in many ways, despite his young age, combines the best of both ends of that spectrum.
He comes with plenty of senior football experience, but is also extremely young and has the potential to develop into a lethal player.
He’s the ultimate bet to break the striker curse that has plagued United, since he’s also walking into an environment which, in Amorim’s own words, is perfect for his development.
That is more than what could be said for the likes of Hojlund or Martial, who were thrown in at the deep end without being taught how to swim, and left to flail and flutter their way to the shore.
Amorim has who he wants; now the task begins to get the most out of him.