Benjamin Sesko reaps benefits from Man United’s madcap season | OneFootball

Manchester United’s 2025/26 season has been pure soap opera. Sure, it has a big budget – £200m spent on a new trio of attacking heavyweights in the summer – and a star-studded cast but the writing is trashy, the plot twists too obvious.

The Portuguese villain masterminding a Carabao Cup exit away to Grimsby Town? Do me a favour, at least try and make it believable. It finished 12-11 on penalties? Of course it did.

Sesko’s difficult start

That unmitigated disaster on the banks of the Humber was a rich weave of sub-plots, chief among them the mounting pressure on Benjamin Sesko.

The towering Slovenian was brought in as part of the heavy summer outlay on a new frontline, but he got off to a slow start in front of goal for United and was the last outfield player to take a penalty in the shootout.

It wasn’t a good look for the marquee centre-forward who was handed his first start for the club in what was as close to a gimme fixture as they were likely to get.

That he converted his spot kick – taken so late because of cramp – is barely relevant. The knives were being sharpened, but there was acrimony to fling in all directions; helpfully Ruben Amorim provided the enduring image from the defeat, huddling in the dugout unable or unwilling to watch the penalties.

Silver lining

And while being part of an exercise in footballing dysfunction probably wasn’t what Sesko wanted from his big move to Old Trafford, it may have actually been more help than hindrance.

Pundits, columnists and an unhinged part of the United fanbase leap at the chance to rip apart a Red Devil and the criticism gets harsher the younger and more expensive they are, and the further forward they play.

The £74m United paid RB Leipzig for a 22-year-old striker perfectly laid the foundations for a hostile environment for Sesko during his adaptation to the Premier League.

But such was the nonsense going on elsewhere, be it Amorim’s graceful nosedive towards his sacking or the club’s crippling inability to string two wins together more than once – not to mention the high-profile failings of bigger, more expensive stars at other clubs – Sesko’s struggles faded into the background, a fizzing static on the line.

Gradually amongst the goals

Exactly a month after ignominy in Grimsby Sesko netted his first goal in red – and the threadbare script dictates that it would turn out to be little more than a consolation goal in the momentum-halting 3-1 defeat away to Brentford.

He followed that with another in the next game, and three months later an important brace at Burnley. He picked up his fifth and most recent goal in another ritual humiliation, this time the FA Cup third round exit at home to Brighton and Hove Albion.

In itself it’s by no means a return worth £74m, but Sesko was bought somewhat for the present and very much for the future. In all competitions only Bryan Mbeumo has outscored Sesko, whose goal tally is matched only by Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha.

Reasons to be cheerful

His relative lack of minutes should also not be ignored in any analysis of his numbers. Through tactical decisions and injury he has not been a nailed-on starter, but using per 90 figures, and common sense, Sesko’s debut season looks a lot better just five goals scored by February.

Only the talismanic Mbeumo has more than Sesko’s 0.36 goals per 90, and the Slovenian lands 1.75 shots on target per 90, the best of the senior group (FBref data accurate at time of writing).

This stands up to the eye test, too – Sesko had seven shots on target against Burnley, the most of any player in the Premier League this season. These included two goals, showing that when given chances he will take them but also demonstrating his substantial headroom for improvement.

Away from the harshest limelight, Sesko is quietly getting it together; he is yet to make a mark under Michael Carrick, whose revolution has so far been spearheaded by Mbeumo at centre-forward. But given time to adapt, the six foot five Slovenian should loom large as an impressive focal point for the club for years to come.

Featured image Gareth Copley via Getty Images

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