Benjamin Sesko came alive in 2026, shaking off a muted start to his Manchester United career to emerge as a real game-changer under Michael Carrick’s watch.
Ten of the Slovenian’s 12 United goals have come since the turn of the year, or rather, since the exit of Ruben Amorim, the 23-year-old one of many to benefit from the change in the Old Trafford dugout.
And yet, the £74m man’s place as a regular starter in Carrick’s side still isn’t guaranteed, while injury niggles are also hampering his progress somewhat, having missed the tail end of last season with a shin issue.
There’s been plenty of promise, but there is a sense that the Red Devils are still waiting for their 6 foot 4 star to truly explode.
Ranking Sesko’s best goals for Man Utd so far
It’s not been the most stellar catalogue of goals for Sesko so far, but the most important thing is finding the back of the net, with the towering striker showcasing a real poacher’s instinct across 2025/26.
The former RB Leipzig man notably bundled home against Liverpool in that 3-2 win, while even his first goal for the club wasn’t pretty, as he lashed in against Brentford after a succession of attempts.
That’s not to say that for all the close-range finishes and scrappy efforts, there haven’t been some standout strikes too, with Sesko’s real ‘wow’ moment coming away at Everton.
Indeed, the substitute ran almost the length of the field to latch onto Bryan Mbeumo’s pull-back, showcasing a frightening burst of speed and an innate composure to round off a sweeping, vintage United move.
In the previous outing against West Ham United, Sesko had helped the visitors to snatch a point by producing a delightful, deft flick at the near post, a goal that demonstrated that there is a subtlety to his game, despite all the pace and power.
That was no more true than when the 2025 arrival rifled in a stoppage-time winner against Fulham, possessing the presence of mind to swivel and strike on the turn into the roof of the net.
He is, seemingly, someone who can do it all when fit and firing, as seen in his thumping header against Crystal Palace, or his perfectly directed prod away at Burnley.
Sesko’s Top 5 Man Utd Goals | ||
|---|---|---|
Rank | Opponent | Goal |
1 | Everton | Counter-attack |
2 | Fulham | Stoppage-time winner |
3 | West Ham (A) | Near post flick |
4 | Crystal Palace (H) | Header |
5 | Burnley (A) | 2nd goal |
Plenty of reason to be optimistic about what Sesko can offer this season then, although he may well have fresh competition to contend with.
Why Man Utd could still sign another striker to rival Sesko
Considering Sesko’s niggling fitness issues, it would be folly to head into a season of Champions League football without a reliable understudy, even with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha able to slot in through the middle when needed.
Carrick does currently have Joshua Zirkzee in reserve, although the Dutchman’s days at United feel numbered, having started just once after the Englishman took charge.
As reported by TuttoJuve, the 24-year-old has long been a ‘top target’ for Serie A giants, Juventus, with there a sense that a return to Italy could be sped up if United are to sign a replacement.
That figure might well be Club Brugge hotshot, Nicolo Tresoldi, the report outlining that INEOS have ‘intensified’ their interest in the 21-year-old.
Believed to be available for a fee of around €50m (£43m), the Italy-born Germany youth international enjoyed a sparkling 2025/26 campaign, having moved to Brugge from Hannover last summer.
Hailed as a “Luis Suarez regen” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Tresoldi was comfortably ahead of Sesko in terms of goals scored last season, netting 19 times in the Belgian Pro League.
That came at a rate of one goal every 132 minutes, while he also boasted a 19% goal conversion rate, proving particularly clinical in his debut season at the club.
For comparison, Sesko’s 11 Premier League goals came at a rate of just one every 149 minutes, while recording a slightly lower 18% goal conversion rate.
It’s also worth noting what Tresoldi produced in Europe, scoring three times in the Champions League proper, after netting once previously in qualifying.
As the Suarez comparison would suggest too, there is more to Tresoldi’s game than just putting the ball in the back of the net, having racked up five assists and created eight ‘big chances’ in the Pro League, while averaging one key pass per game.
Sesko, despite being no slouch in terms of his link play, just wasn’t quite as involved in a creative sense last season, registering only one assist, while creating zero ‘big chances’ and averaging just 0.3 key passes per game.
It must be said that this was a real breakout year for Tresoldi, after he’d only scored 14 league goals across 2023/24 and 2024/25 in Germany’s second tier, but it’s hard not to be impressed by what he offers as the all-round package.
For Sesko, he might have been hoping that the next striker arrival at Old Trafford would be an experienced name who could help to develop him rather than directly compete with him, with Robert Lewandowski a player in that mould who had previously been floated.
Bringing in another youngster like Tresoldi, however, would be stepping on the Slovenian’s toes somewhat, with the future of United’s number nine berth still rather uncertain.
