MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 4: Benjamin Sesko of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Sunderland at Old Trafford on October 4, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
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The €76.5m Manchester United paid to sign Benjamin Sesko reflected just how desperate the Old Trafford outfit was for a new centre forward. This deal made the Slovenian one of the most expensive forwards in soccer history despite the fact he’d never scored more than 14 league goals in a single season.
Sesko’s potential, however, was clear to anyone who’d watched him for RB Leipzig or Slovenia. The 22-year-old has the physical attributes to be one of the best players in the world in his position and so Manchester United took a calculated risk to sign him when it desperately needed a new striker.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – AUGUST 30: Benjamin Sesko of Manchester United reads instructions from a tablet as Ruben Amorim, Manager of Manchester United, looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Burnley at Old Trafford on August 30, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
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As is the case with any big-money signing Manchester United makes, Sesko has been subject to much scrutiny. Plenty are eager to write him off as a flop, but the reality is that the Slovenian is getting to grips with life in the Premier League. He is improving quickly as United’s new attacking focal point.
While Sesko isn’t exactly setting new records with his goalscoring numbers, the two goals he has scored in just four Premier League starts represents a solid return. His best game for Manchester United so far came in the 2-0 win over Sunderland before the October international break when Sesko found the net and was a threat throughout.
“The most important thing is to win games,” said Ruben Amorim after Sesko’s first United goal. “That will give confidence for everybody in the team. Of course, he was anxious for his first goal. The thing I like most in Ben is, even when things are hard for him with the ball, he is working hard in every minute of the game.”
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 04: Benjamin Sesko of Manchester United battles for possession with Granit Xhaka of Sunderland during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Sunderland at Old Trafford on October 04, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
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Not only is Sesko finding ways to impact games as an individual, he is forming an understanding with the players around him. In particular, there are signs of a relationship between the Slovenian and Bryan Mbeumo, both of whom linked up for the attack that led to Robert Sanchez’s sending off in the win over Chelsea.
Manchester United has toiled through the early part of the season. While recent wins over Chelsea and Sunderland have eased the situation, Ruben Amorim’s team is still a long way from where it wants to be. Indeed, United is currently sitting a lowly 10th place in the Premier League table.
In Sesko, though, it has someone to build around for the future. The Slovenian might not be the finished article, but he is developing at a rapid rate. Manchester United needs more players of Sesko’s mould as it aims to get back to the top level of English and European soccer again.