Photo by SSC NAPOLI/SSC NAPOLI via Getty Images
Photo by SSC NAPOLI/SSC NAPOLI via Getty Images
Benjamin Sesko has been hit-and-miss to start this season due to an injury, but he’s still a massive upgrade on Rasmus Hojlund.
Like Rasmus Hojlund, Benjamin Sesko also had a good debut season at Man Utd, but what happens after is important.
For Hojlund, what happened after was frustration, lack of confidence, and a vicious cycle that eventually ended with him leaving Old Trafford.
The jury is still out on Sesko, but after Hojlund’s predictable latest outing, it’s certain that he’s an upgrade on the Dane at the very least.
Everton v Manchester United - Premier League 2026/27
Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images
Getty Images
Rasmus Hojlund struggles against English opposition
Hojlund had become somewhat of a “chicken-and-egg” problem at Man Utd, in the sense that it wasn’t clear whether he was poor due to the team, or the team was poor with him in it.
He regularly put in anonymous performances, and if he wasn’t scoring, then he wasn’t doing much else.
United repeatedly looked like they played with ten men with the Dane in the team, so bad were his fundamentals and technical skills.
He would dominate European football, but was always left wanting in the league, which spelled trouble for his suitability for United.
Now that he has left English football, he is doing much better for Napoli in Italy, but those ugly performances resurface whenever he is up against English teams in Europe.
The latest one arrived against Arsenal, as Hojlund huffed and puffed for 76 minutes in a game which would have reminded Man Utd fans of his performances for United.
With just 19 touches of the ball, nine passes completed, and no shots on or off target, Napoli played with ten men.
Granted, Arsenal are a much better team than Napoli, but Hojlund couldn’t do anything at all to bring his teammates into the game, or make a nuisance of himself for Arsenal defenders.
His game turns off when an English opponent turns up. United simply couldn’t afford 38 games/season like that. Napoli can afford two or three per season.
Benjamin Sesko is a huge upgrade beyond his goals
Sesko is even scoring regularly since Ruben Amorim left, but even if he weren’t, his intangibles and all-around game are a huge upgrade.
Getty Images
The Slovenian is never a “+1” on the team if he’s not scoring, as he constantly makes dangerous runs, drags defenders, and causes chaos aerially with his physique.
Defenders know they’ve been in a battle when Sesko is not on it, and that results in more space and threat for his teammates.
A striker in the modern game needs to do much more than just score goals, unless, of course, he scores goals like Erling Haaland.
Sesko is a much more complete prospect fit for English football than Hojlund ever was.