The parallels between Rasmus Hojlund and Benjamin Sesko are starting to feel a little too similar for some, with the current Manchester United striker still waiting for that real lift-off moment at Old Trafford.
In Hojlund’s case, his debut campaign was delayed by injury, while it took until Boxing Day for a first Premier League goal to be notched. A run of seven in six games then followed, before injury struck again, even as the Dane finished as the club’s leading scorer that season.
As for Sesko, well, the £74m man also took a while to get going, netting just two goals in the first-half of last term, only really catching fire at the start of 2026 to finish level with Bryan Mbeumo at the top of the scoring charts.
A shin injury had curtailed that momentum, however, while the Slovenian hasn’t featured in pre-season as yet, sparking concerns as to what the future might hold for the 23-year-old heading into 2026/27.
Why Sesko won’t be Man Utd’s starting striker next season
Considering he was one of the senior players not on World Cup duty, this summer felt like a prime time for Sesko to seize his moment under Michael Carrick, having largely been restricted to supersub status last season.
His goals against Fulham, Everton, West Ham United and Aston Villa all came from the bench, with the then-interim boss typically avoiding the temptation to unleash the former RB Leipzig man from the start.
That dynamic doesn’t look set to shift anytime soon either, considering his lack of involvement in pre-season, with Mbeumo looking so sharp as the figurehead of a more fluid forward line.
Mbeumo notably scored four goals under Carrick in 2025/26 while operating through the middle, memorably netting in the Englishman’s first two games in charge against Manchester City and Arsenal, as well as in the final two games of the campaign.
Having stayed at Carrington himself this summer, the 27-year-old appears to have benefitted from a well-earned break, scoring three goals against Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain combined, before notching the assist for Joshua Zirkzee against Leeds United last time out.
|
Man Utd Player Ratings vs Leeds* |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Ranking |
|
GK – Lammens |
7 |
|
RB – Dalot |
6 |
|
CB – Yoro |
7 |
|
CB – Heaven |
6 |
|
LB – Amass |
6 |
|
CM – Santos |
7 |
|
CM – T. Fletcher |
5 |
|
RW – Amad |
6 |
|
SS – Zirkzee |
8 |
|
LW – Dorgu |
7 |
|
ST – Mbeumo |
8 |
|
*Starting lineup |
|
With Matheus Cunha subsequently taking his place in the second-half, and with Marcus Rashford also back in the mix, Sesko has even further reason to be concerned. All that bulking up could count for little when the new season rolls around.
There’s also the small matter of the potential arrival of yet another forward this month, with INEOS still in the market for a striker, by all accounts.
Latest on Man Utd’s summer striker search
There is a feeling that even if Zirkzee stays put in Manchester, the Red Devils might still need to sign a new number nine, with the Dutchman operating in more of a number ten berth against Leeds on Wednesday night.
An experienced option in the mould of Jean-Philippe Mateta has been mooted, while United were previously in the mix for Ollie Watkins last summer, prior to lasering in on Sesko.
At the other end of the scale, INEOS could also look for youth again, with journalist Ben Jacobs – speaking on the United Stand YouTube channel – suggesting that Freiburg’s Igor Matanovic is under consideration.
“I heard the other day that Igor Matanovic is another name that’s been discussed, who is almost like a basketball player. He is, I think, like six foot six and Tottenham were the other club that have taken a look at him in the last few weeks, and there’s an element of the Benjamin Sesko to him”.
As Jacobs noted, the likeness to Sesko is clear to see, with Matanovic another towering, young Bundesliga striker who could make the switch from Germany to Manchester.
Still just 23, the Croatian international is “one of the most interesting young strikers in Europe“, in the view of talent scout Jacek Kulig, hailed as a “complete forward” and a “modern target man”.
In the Bundesliga last season, for instance, the in-demand marksman scored 11 goals despite only starting 14 games, boasting a goal once every 143 minutes.
For comparison, Sesko also scored 11 league goals last season for United, netting at a similar rate of one every 149 minutes, having started 17 games for the Red Devils.
Looking back to the Slovenian’s final year at Leipzig too, the comparison is clear to see, with 2024/25 seeing him score 13 Bundesliga goals, only just ahead of Matanovic’s recent return.
The Hamburg-born striker had only scored one league goal in 16 outings for Eintracht Frankfurt the year prior, although he had flourished out on loan in the second tier prior to that, netting 14 times in 2024/25 for Karlsruher.
Those humble beginnings aren’t too dissimilar to Sesko either, the United man starting out in his homeland at Domzale, while then enjoying a prolific stint at Austrian second-tier side, FC Liefering, scoring 22 in 44 games.
Now, while facing a fight for a starting role under Carrick, Sesko remains a potential superstar striker in the making. Hopefully, if he is to arrive, Matanovic can follow suit.