Manchester United first took an eye on Benjamin Sesko when he was just 16 years old, and even had the opportunity to recruit him at a very good price. However, they failed to take advantage of that opportunity and let Red Bull Salzburg win the right to sign the Slovenia striker in the summer of 2019 for a fee of only 2.5 million Euros.
In 2022, the first summer of coach Erik ten Hag taking charge, the "Red Devils" once again considered Sesko. However, they were hesitant at the price at that time increased to 24 million Euros for a player who had only played for one top season in Austria.
As a result, Sesko agreed to move to RB Leipzig, another team also owned by Red Bull. However, the deal was only completed the following year, while Man United chose to sign Rasmus Hojlund for a fee of up to £72 million.
Missing a potential young striker may be considered a bad thing, but missing out twice is a carelessness. And now, 6 years after missing the player who was once considered the "new Erling Haaland" for the first time, Man United have finally reached an agreement to bring Sesko to Old Trafford.
The Red Devils could pay a huge price for Sesko, with Leipzig accepting an initial offer of £665 million plus £7.5 million depending on the additional fee. However, despite the large fee and some concerns that Man United could make the same mistake as Hojlund, there is still a lot of excitement about this deal.
Sesko has the ideal figure for a striker, 1m93 tall and an impressively strong physique. He is also known for his impressive speed, having attracted attention when he achieved the maximum speed of surpassing Kylian Mbappe during his explosive period in Salzburg.
It is the combination of speed and power that makes Sesko a real threat when moving between lines and exploiting the space behind the opponent's defense.
In addition, Sesko also surprised with his ability to dribble the ball flexibly - something rarely seen in a player who can look like him. The striker's finishing skills are also noteworthy, especially long-range shots, which have brought him many beautiful goals.
However, the uncomfortable truth is that, with his reputation and high transfer fees, Sesko has yet to really prove his impressive scoring ability.
Last season, Sesko was only ninth in the Bundesliga's top scorers list. Sesko's achievements are even better than Jonathan Burkardt - the German player who just moved from Mainz to Eintracht Frankfurt for only 20 million pounds - up to 5 goals.
Despite scoring many goals, Sesko is also famous for missing many clear opportunities in key moments. For example, two missed opportunities against Portugal at EURO 2024.
The Slovenia player is still considered a potential star by many big clubs. Therefore, the large transfer fee and high salary make him a risky choice, especially for teams pursuing an immediate winning philosophy.
This is also the reason why Arsenal hesitated, when Mikel Arteta's team prioritized investing in Viktor Gyokeres - who scored 68 goals in 66 matches for Sporting CP last season, despite being at a lower level of competition.
When he set foot in the Theater of Dreams, Sesko will face great pressure to express himself from the very first days. Man United fans have reason to worry that he will become a second Hojlund. The Danish striker took 4 months to score his first Premier League goal in his debut season.
