Inside Story of Sesko’s first session

Benjamin Sesko took part in his first-ever Manchester United training session on Sunday, following his move from RB Leipzig.

He was announced as the Reds’ latest senior signing on Saturday (9 August) before getting straight to work with Amorim’s squad a day later at Carrington, as we prepare for our Premier League opener against Arsenal next week.

Diogo Dalot was one of the first out on the grass, followed shortly by Sesko, and the Portuguese defender wasted no time in firing a pass into United’s newest acquisition to trial his touch; a test he passed with flying colours.

The rest of the squad followed the Slovenian and joined a group circle in the centre of one of the training pitches as Ruben Amorim addressed his charges and gave instructions for the day.

From there, it was straight into a rondo for Sesko and his new team-mates, where new players are truly put through their paces with quick thinking and rapid short passes required.

He began on the outside of the circle and pulled off some neat exchanges with his fellow Reds, before ending up as one of the middle two defenders with Toby Collyer.

The towering forward was soon back on the outside, however, and put his sizeable frame to good use to leap into the air beyond his defence-bound colleagues, heading and chesting the ball to players around him with unbelievable precision.

Suitably warmed up, it was then time to shake hands with some of the Academy graduates who were to provide the opposition for the small-sided games to follow.

Just before getting into some tactical work, Sesko and his fellow squad members were led through some final drills to ensure muscles were fully prepared, involving some high kicks which allowed the Slovenian to show off the full range of his acrobatic abilities, proving to be surprisingly nimble for his immense height.

The Reds then entered a pitch complete with training mannequins to do some positional work led by head coach Amorim.

The build-up play that followed saw the 22-year-old net the first goal of the one-sided session, a close-range finish assisted by fellow new player Diego Leon, before Sesko turned provider for Joshua Zirkzee and Collyer, against a rotating cast of first-team goalkeepers between the sticks, ending this portion of training with a signature leaping header from the recently signed striker.

It was then back into a huddle with Amorim to debrief before heading to the next pitch, where they met back up with some Academy players who were bibbed up and ready to provide opposition for the senior side.

Sesko took his regular line-leading position in the game, which saw him locked in tussles with defensive duo Jacob Devaney and Rhys Bennett.

The young pair fought well with the sizeable new arrival, but latter’s experience at elite European and international levels shone through as he escaped his markers to net the opening goal of this particular short game.

Not long after, the players transferred to the final pitch for this training session, with smaller nets which were closer together to make the game a tighter affair.

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That brought Sesko’s first of many United training sessions to a close, as some of the longstanding squad members went off for final sprints while Sesko stayed on the sidelines to chat with coaches and staff as he settles into his new surroundings.

Amorim’s squad headed back into their newly revamped Carrington facility for final debriefs, but not before the striker irresistibly began showing off some final tricks, juggling a spare ball that had been left out from the session.

He let off some characteristically powerful shots at an open goal, before looking up and spotting our cameraman tracking his movements, letting out a smile after a successful first day.

There will be plenty more hard work ahead for the Slovenian as he prepares for his all-important United debut, but he looked to be enjoying every second of it.

Recommended:

• Sesko made to feel at home

   Gallery

  See our pics as Benjamin is greeted at his new home by his fellow Reds.

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