Man Utd ‘expected’ £74m summer signing to flop this season as transfer ‘preference’ is clear
Man Utd “expected” Benjamin Sesko to struggle this season more than fellow new signings Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, according to reports.
The Red Devils spent around £200m on Sesko – who signed from RB Leipzig in a deal worth £74m – Mbeumo and Cunha over the summer transfer window.
Only four Premier League teams scored fewer goals than Man Utd last season with Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund scoring just seven league goals between them.
Mbeumo and Cunha, for the most part, look like they’ve settled in well at Old Trafford after they joined from Premier League clubs Brentford and Wolves respectively.
However, Sesko has scored just two goals in 11 appearances in all competitions and generally struggled with his performances, often looking isolated.
Man Utd legend Gary Neville insisted over the weekend that the Slovenia international “looks awkward” and that “the jury is out” on Sesko still.
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Neville said on Sky Sports: “I’m no further forward with him in terms of the jury is out. I think he’s well off it compared to the other signings that United have made up front in Cunha and Mbeumo
“He looks awkward. He had a couple of really good opportunities in the first half when balls got played over and his touch wasn’t right.
“For £80 million, you can say he is young and has a lot of potential. He is only settling in, but you still want to see a bit more.”
But transfer insider Dean Jones has explained to our friends at TEAMtalk that Man Utd “expected” Sesko to have a tough time settling in during his first season at Old Trafford.
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Jones said: “The performances of Cunha and Mbeumo compared to Sesko so far help us to understand why United have this view that signings from within the Premier League are preferable.
“They very clearly identified Mbeumo and Cunha as having traits and data that were repeatable and consistent. Sesko has not been as good as those two so far and to some extent that was expected.”
However, former Man Utd defender Wes Brown has seen one positive from Sesko with the former RB Leipzig striker possessing a “great shot”.
Brown said on MUTV: “You can see he’s got a great shot, as simple as that. He needs to be in those positions more often.
“He made a diagonal run in, and if we can get the ball into him more often, we will see some strikes. He’s not had that many opportunities.”
