Manchester United vs Fiorentina live: Hosts held in final pre-season friendly after Benjamin Sesko unveiled to Old Trafford | OneFootball

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Opta Profile: Benjamin Sesko - Manchester United & Newcastle bid for star striker

Manchester United were held by Fiorentina in their final pre-season friendly before the start of the new Premier League season.

New signing Benjamin Sesko was presented to the fans alongside fellow newcomers Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Diego Leon prior to kick-off, before ex-United hero David de Gea - now at La Viola - was honoured for his service at the club.

Fiorentina quelled the feeling of goodwill inside Old Trafford by taking an early lead, with Simon Sohm latching onto a corner misread by the entire United to defence to volley home inside eight minutes.

Ruben Amorim’s side managed to respond after a chaotic Bruno Fernandes corner led to an own goal from Robin Gosens, but the Red Devils were unable to find a winner after the break, requiring a penalty shootout of questionable significance to determine a victor.

United fired in five flawless penalties to technically overcome their Italian opponents, but more focus will be given to the 90 minutes that were seen ahead of their domestic opener against Arsenal next weekend.

Man United's pre-season in full

That’s it for pre-season for the Red Devils!

They now prepare for their first competitive game of the campaign as they face the stern test of Arsenal next weekend.

Here’s a rundown of all of Man United’s pre-season results over the past few months:

May 28: Asean All Stars 1-0 Man Utd

May 30: Hong Kong 1-3 Man Utd

July 19: Man United 0-0 Leeds

July 27: Man United 2-1 West Ham

July 31: Man United 4-1 Bournemouth

August 3: Man United 2-2 Everton

August 9: Man United 1-1 Fiorentina

Will Castle9 August 2025 17:00

Why Man United’s imperfect pre-season finale opens the door for greater things

It was about the goalscorer and the goalkeeper, the future and the past. Benjamin Sesko took to the Old Trafford pitch for the first time, but in a tracksuit top, a few minutes before kick-off, his unveiling coming as a spectator. David de Gea may have played at the ground he long graced for the last time, a pre-season friendly between Manchester United and Fiorentina at least giving him the farewell he was denied when released two years ago.

Perhaps it was United’s transfers in microcosm, the excitement of the expensive arrival, the disappointment of the cheap exit. But Sesko, whose £65m arrival from RB Leipzig was finalised earlier in the morning, was hailed by United director of football Jason Wilcox as a player with the potential to be world class. And De Gea, at his best, was: United’s four-time player of the year, a man who topped 500 appearances for them and, before the decline of his final few seasons, ranked among the finest goalkeepers in the game. He was presented with a framed montage by his former teammate Bruno Fernandes before the game; there were further cheers when he prevented Harry Maguire from scoring a spectacular long-range goal and he came off to a standing ovation a couple of minutes before the end.

Richard Jolly reports from Old Trafford:

Richard Jolly9 August 2025 16:17

'We will be ready for Arsenal'

“Now it's going to be tough because we are trying to arrange a full week of training,” Amorim told MUTV.

“We will have two really strong sessions with time to work and then we are going to break a little bit, then two days to really think about the strategy for the game.

“We'll be ready.”

Will Castle9 August 2025 15:30

Is Benjamin Sesko the missing to piece to Ruben Amorim's puzzle?

Ruben Amorim says Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo are only operating at “50 or 60 per cent” right now - but the addition of a certain new striker could be just what they need to reach their top level.

“They are maybe at 50 or 60 per cent of what they can do,” Amorim told MUTV. “I think like any other team, we are going to improve during the season and they are going to be so much better.

“In some moments I felt that because of the one against one on the whole pitch, we struggled without a reference as a striker.

“We have a new player, so we'll see.”

(Getty Images)