Benjamin Sesko officially signed for Manchester United earlier this month, but club legends are divided on whether the Slovenian striker will be a success at Old Trafford
Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes are at odds at the decision of Manchester United to splash Benjamin Sesko. Scholes fears that the club will repeat errors from the past, made with Rasmus Hojlund, but Ferdinand feels different.
The Slovenian international has officially put pen on paper over a five-year-old deal with the Red Devils after RB Leipzig accepted an offer of £ 66.4 million plus £ 7.6 million in add-ons. With a total package worth £ 74 million, United Newcastle signed Sesko's signature after the Magpies had launched their bid earlier in July.
Although Newcastle offers the striker a lucrative wage package than United, the Ruben Amorim project has persuaded the 22-year-old to reject the northeast and promise of Champions League football this season. However, United Legend Scholes believes that Sesko may have made a mistake when choosing his former club. He fears that the fans will investigate the young striker like earlier at Hojlund.
During the overlapping Fandebat last week, the ex-sizing midfielder expressed his conviction that Newcastle would have been a better place for young Sesko to develop. Scholes said: “From the point of Sesko … he has more chance of Newcastle to develop what he needs. Now that a Manchester United Center-Forward is, as we have found at Hojlund, a 22-year-old child, you have to be ready.
“It must be now. And Hojlund is just not quite good enough for that as we have seen. But again, he had no chance to be developed – going to Newcastle was perhaps the best for him for two or three years.”
The former international in England, however, acknowledged the potential for future success at Old Trafford, but remained uncomfortable in his conviction that Sesko should have opted for the side of Eddie Howe. He added: “Which club is going to be successful at first? Will Man United win the competition before Newcastle – if they ever do that? Of course they are.
“That's why he wants to go there, but I say from a united point of view, is it the best part of things? I still think you're in the same boat as Hojlund.”
Despite Scholes' reserves, another former United Legend believes that Sesko has considerably more experience in the club than Hojlund owned in 2023. Ferdinand continued the debate on his YouTube channel, Rio presents, protesting that Sesko will thrive in Manchester.
Ferdinand said: “Now we have someone who is not that experienced, but he is more experienced than Rasmus Hojlund. He probably played almost double the number of games like Hojlund when he came, he is two years older than what Rasmus Hojlund was when he signed.
“And he has shown that he can score goals. He has not gone and has it blitt and scored a ridiculous amount of goals, but he is a child. He is young. Again, we cannot expect that. I see him coming in and 25 Premier League goals, or 20 Premier League goals.
“If he comes and scores between 10 and 15, I think that's an incredible return.”
When he interviewed why he believes that Sesko will do better at United than Hojlund, Ferdinand added: “Well, I think it's more hope at the moment. I think we should wait for the man.
“The manager found his feet and you also have a number nine that finds his feet. So under Amorim, that's how it has been for him [Rasmus]. So hopefully there is a clearer picture, a clearer identity given the preseason we have had.
“There are more goals, as I said, and players who understand the Premier League who get more experience in the top of the field. You would like to think that this counts on the new season, to help a new number nine to get into the building.”
Although the two united icons may not agree on the potential impact of Sesko at Old Trafford, the most crucial point of view belongs to the striker – and he certainly believes in his ability to recover glory in the theater of dreams.
In an interview with Mutv, the 22-year-old said: “For me the team is great. It is getting better and that is why there are things that you get there, give you this energy that you want to be part of. I think it is a great project in general and I can't wait to start, for sure.
“I have just been here for a few hours and it is already great. I can have all the feeling that we will be a great family and it is a pleasure to be part of it.
“It feels good, you know, it's the thing [the badge] Fits well and I look forward to just playing in a lot and trying to represent in the good ways. “
With speculation around his future in United, the current number nine Hojlund previously stated that he would fight for his place in the team.
During the recent tour for the season in America, the Danish striker said: “I think my plan is very clear and that is for me to keep fighting for my place, whatever happens. I am still very young. I think people sometimes forget. I am only 22. Of course not every striker at the age of 22 scores 100 goals.
“The competition is fine for me. It sharpened me. I am more than ready. I feel sharp, so I welcome everything that comes. I think it is good with the competition and it just sharpenes the team.”
Since then it seems that Hojlund has been warmed up to the idea of moving to AC Milan. Only time will learn whether he will give Sesko a run this season for his money in the team.