His hero was Zlatan Ibrahimovic, he has been compared to Erling Haaland and he could seriously dent England’s Euro 2024 hopes tonight. Oh, and Manchester United tried to sign him.
Two years ago Benjamin Sesko trod the familiar path between Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig, agreeing to join the Bundesliga side and the biggest club in the Red Bull network for around £20m. He has recently penned a new deal with the club that, for now, has warned off suitors that included Arsenal.
But who knows whether history would have been different had United tried harder for Sesko two summer windows ago. At that point, the 6ft 5in striker was only 19 and had 12 goals in 38 games for Red Bull Salzburg. The potential was clear, however, as it always was with Haaland.
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Like the Norwegian, the Slovenian striker is both tall and quick. He has been unfortunate not to score at the European Championship so far and if he’s passed fit tonight he will make life difficult for England.
His move to Leipzig was agreed in the summer of 2022 but only for the 2023 window and his final year in Salzburg yielded another 18 goals. Last season, he scored 14 goals in 31 Bundesliga games and having turned 21 last month, he looks primed to explode onto the scene this season.
United were keen on him the summer the deal was done between the two Red Bull-owned clubs but were always at an obvious disadvantage. That was the summer that football director John Murtough told the story of phoning a club to enquire about a young player who had an offer of £15m in, to be told that for United it was £28m. The player was never disclosed but there have long been theories it was Sesko that he was on about.
In fairness, that was a significant sum for a raw striker with a less than one-in-three strike rate in the Austrian Bundesliga. But it’s not a great look for United that they came so close to Haaland and Sesko without getting a deal done.
Although the Slovenian has signed a new contract at RB Leipzig, his next move will surely be to the Premier League in 2025 or 2026. His game looks tailor-made for English football and while he might not have the impact of Haaland, it’s easy to envisage him strengthening a leading club. He is the striker Arsenal are crying out for.
Sesko certainly has the physicality and power of an athlete conditioned to play in Europe’s most intense league. He initially had plans for an NBA career and the video that caught the attention of Salzburg’s scouts was of a 14-year-old Sesko showing off his skills on the basketball court. His athleticism was impossible to ignore and while his height is a major weapon, his pace doesn’t go unnoticed. He has been clocked at speeds only a fraction slower than Kylian Mbappe.
Maybe United are happy with their own young forward, but Rasmus Hojlund cost almost three times as much as Sesko. The Dane had a good first season at Old Trafford but needs to go to another level this year.
There probably isn’t much difference between Sesko and Hojlund at the moment, even if neither is in Haaland’s league. If United had signed Sesko then it’s doubtful they would have gone for Hojlund.
Hojlund, also 21, needs support next season, especially with Anthony Martial departing. United are shopping in the bargain bucket this summer, however, with cut-price deals for the likes of Joshua Zirkzee and Jonathan David explored. They couldn’t compete for Sesko.
If his trajectory continues they might live to regret not pushing harder for him two years ago, however.