Benjamin Sesko hesitated when finishing in the first half and his shot was blocked. At the beginning of the second half, he unfortunately missed his header from an offside position, before missing another opportunity with a shot wide of the post from close range. That was a particularly difficult day for this striker at Leeds.
In terms of statistics, Sesko closed the 1-1 draw at Elland Road as the player with the most scoring chances of the match, but once again failed to score. It feels like this is the "key story" in his career at Manchester United - many expectations, large transfer fees, but has not created a boom since leaving Leipzig.
Notably, Sesko has not yet scored in the Premier League from outside the penalty area. After starting in the last 4 matches - his longest starting streak to date - the 22-year-old striker can extend it to 5 consecutive matches when Man United meet Burnley. In the context of a squad lacking many key players, Ruben Amorim clearly needs more from his number one center.
Team gatherings have caused Man United to miss Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo during a tight schedule, while the schedule is relatively favorable for Sesko. However, the "Red Devils" have only won one of their last 4 matches. If they defeated Wolves at home and won all 3 points at Leeds, Man United could even have finished fourth.
Sesko launched 12 shots in that period without scoring. 4 other players with similar number of shots in the Premier League in the same period all scored at least 2 goals. Considering the expected goal difference excluding penalties, in the group of 12 leading players, Sesko is the only one who has not scored.
These data show that Sesko is still receiving relatively good input. Against Wolves, he had up to 6 shots towards the goal but did not create a real threat to the goalkeeper. Sesko is in the group of 12 players with the highest xG without penalties every 90 minutes in the Premier League this season.
Among them, only Jean-Philippe Mateta has a score much lower than expectations (xG) than the Man United striker. Whether Sesko missed opportunities is a positive or worrying sign will depend on the perspective. On the one hand, he still appears in the right place. On the other hand, the finishing efficiency is not commensurate.
Sesko's xG stats are also consistent with the two seasons he played in the Bundesliga. In that sense, Man United is receiving the "package of products" they bought, just that the ball does not go into the net regularly like in the period in Leipzig, where he used to have impressive performance. This can completely change.
What worries Man United is the expectations placed on Sesko, which must be higher. Considered as an investment in Sesko's potential, physique and speed, he is expected to be able to replicate, even upgrade to the milestones of 14 and 13 goals in two seasons in the Bundesliga.
However, like the case of Viktor Gyokeres - although older at Arsenal - the Premier League is exposing some limitations in their skill set. Sesko still has the advantage of time and statistical platforms, but if this winter is the time to break away, he still cannot seize the opportunity.
The fact that he missed an opportunity shows that he was always in the right place, and that was the first step. Sesko played fiercely, contested well. When he missed an opportunity, people would say that player did everything wrong, but in reality, just one goal and everything would be different" - Amorim said about Sesko.
