Benjamin Šeško has named one Manchester United star he used to look up to alongside Cristiano Ronaldo amid a possible move to Old Trafford.
Manchester United are shifting their focus to the final three signings of the summer as Rúben Amorim prepares for his first full season in charge at Old Trafford.
The club have already completed deals for Matheus Cunha, Diego Leon and Bryan Mbeumo. Cunha and Mbeumo are expected to form two-thirds of a new-look attacking trio, while 18-year-old Leon will operate as understudy to Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu at left wing-back.
With five weeks remaining in the transfer window, United are targeting an experienced centre-forward, a defensive midfielder and a goalkeeper to compete with André Onana.
RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Šeško has been identified as their preferred choice to fill the striker role. While sales such as that of Alejandro Garnacho could still be considered, reports indicate that United do not need to offload players in order to afford a move for Šeško.
Šeško in awe of two former United stars
When any player is asked about who their all-time favourite United players are, club legend Cristiano Ronaldo is almost always the first name on the list. However, new striker target Šeško has admitted that there is a second player who comes close to that list.
Zlatan Ibrahimović spent only a short stint at Old Trafford, but left the club a fan favourite, having scored 29 goals and provided 10 assists in 53 appearances. Šeško admitted in an old interview that he is one player whom he has always looked up to and tried to emulate.
“The only guy I loved, actually, the most, of course, besides Ronaldo [and] those guys [who] were always on the front page, let’s say, was Ibrahimović,” Šeško admitted when asked who he looks up to.
“For me, this is a role model and the guy that I watched unbelievably a lot. He is definitely different than me, yes, but just some situations sometimes I try to copy, you know, because he’s just, he’s been always amazing and just the way he is, you know, I like it always.”
Šeško will have a slower impact that Ibrahimović
The Swede’s impact at United after signing in 2016 was one-of-a-kind. After scoring the winner on his debut in the Community Shield, Ibrahimović went on to lift three trophies at the club that season, cementing his status as a cult hero before moving to LA Galaxy after a knee injury sustained toward the end of the 2016/17 campaign.
However, should United secure Šeško, his impact will likely be less immediate, but could be fantastic in the long term.
Having already brought in Cunha and Mbeumo, the goalscoring burden on Amorim’s next first-choice striker has been lifted significantly, which would allow Šeško to tread a different path to that of Rasmus Højlund, who many feel no longer has the tools to succeed at Old Trafford long-term.
Šeško has scored 100 career goals and provided 26 assists in his 224 professional appearances. At 22 years of age, he has demonstrated himself to be both a Champions League-level talent and a remarkably mature striker for his age.
Despite the cushion of Mbeumo, Cunha, Fernandes, and others around him, signing him for such a high fee may represent a greater risk than bringing in Ollie Watkins. Still, it could also reap significantly more rewards in the long term.
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