Benjamin Sesko has two goals to his name since signing for Manchester United in the summer, but the Slovenian striker is currently ruled out of action with an injury.
Leading the line for Manchester United is not an easy task, as Rasmus Hojlund learned after spending two years in the team.
The role comes with a lot of responsibility as well as the pressure that comes with playing for the biggest club in the Premier League.
Hojlund scored 26 goals and registered six assists in his 95 appearances for United. The Dane’s last competitive appearance for the club, before being sent on loan to Napoli, came in the disappointing Europa League final defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.
Ruben Amorim made it clear at the start of the 2025/26 season that Hojlund was not part of his plans after overlooking the striker for the first few games of the season. Then, United signed Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig.
Hojlund is having a mixed spell at Napoli, which started brightly, but now he is the subject of criticism after failing to score for the Italian champions since October.
Meanwhile, United have issues of their own in attack, with Sesko currently out injured. Amorim has yet to reveal a specific date of return.
Benjamin Sesko celebrates against Sunderland
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Man Utd happy with Benjamin Sesko data
Sesko has been criticised for his time at Old Trafford so far, with the Slovenian scoring just two goals in his first 12 appearances.
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Unfair comparisons have been made to Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha’s impressive performances, with both players having Premier League experience under their belt before signing for United. That wasn’t the case for Sesko, 22 years old and with plenty of time to develop his game as a young striker.
Sesko was one of many striker targets on United’s radar in the summer. The others included Viktor Gyokeres and Liam Delap.
ESPN journalist Rob Dawson believes United’s coaching staff are happy with Sesko. It is believed he has already proven to be an upgrade on Hojlund, with the help of data.
“Sesko has scored two Premier League goals, I think,” Dawson said on The Football Reporters podcast.
“He’s obviously injured at the moment. But United will tell you that the data and the things that they see in their analysis will tell you that he’s a far better player than Hojlund
“His movement is better, he runs the channels better, he holds the ball up better, he gets United higher up the pitch in a way that Hojlund struggled to, so even though he’s not scoring a ton of goals, which he’s not, that United are better with Sesko in the team than they are with Hojlund.”
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Sesko has missed the recent games against Everton and Crystal Palace, and it remains to be seen when he will return to action.
Joshua Zirkzee has chance to build on Crystal Palace goal
Joshua Zirkzee had to wait until United’s 1-0 defeat against Everton for his first start of the season.
The Dutch striker was criticised for his performance but kept his place in the team for United’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, scoring the equaliser that inspired the Red Devils to their first win in four matches.
Now, Zirkzee has a chance to build on his goal against Palace because he’s likely to start against West Ham with Sesko ruled out.
This is a chance for Zirkzee to prove his worth under Amorim.