Manchester United defender Harry Maguire is adamant Benjamin Sesko will be an “excellent player” for the Red Devils but has urged patience for the club’s summer signing.
Another young centre-forward
A tall, powerful 22-year-old striker with excellent mobility but a lack of top-level experience.
United fans could be forgiven for wondering whether the decision to spend big money replacing Rasmus Hojlund with a striker with a strikingly similar profile to the Denmark international was a wise decision.
But Sesko’s reputation in European football is far higher than Hojlund’s was at Atalanta, with a host of clubs across the continent having tracked the RB Leipzig frontman for many years.
United fended off intense interest from Newcastle to win the red-hot race for the Slovenian over the summer, eventually agreeing a £74 million deal with Leipzig.
It has been a quiet start at Old Trafford for the new striker, however. He has made five appearances, though only two starts, but is yet to find the net.
Goals are the metric by which every centre-forward is judged, particularly those signed for the exorbitant fee United forked out for Sesko.
But Maguire – a key figure in United’s dressing room – has warned against repeating the mistakes which eventually led to Hojlund’s departure from the club, urging for patience for a player who is still “really young”.
Maguire is a fan
Speaking to Sky Sports, Maguire is firm in his belief that Sesko will be “excellent player for the club,” identifying his finishing as having already stood out in training.
“I’m sure he is probably finding a lot of pressure on his shoulders already, because that is what happens when you play for this club. I think everyone needs to realise he is a young player.
“He might take time to find his feet, but he’s got all the attributes, the physicality, the mentality to be a success at this club. I’ve been really impressed with him in training. His finishing is excellent.”
The 32-year-old defender concludes with a sentence which will excite every United fan: “I believe [Sesko] is going to score goals for this club for many years.”
With a crucial fixture this evening against Chelsea at Old Trafford, there are few better stages for the Slovenian striker to get off the mark for his new club and reward the faith of his teammate.
Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
