Manchester United have been told that they ‘should have signed’ an ex-Manchester City player instead of Benjamin Šeško in the summer transfer window.
Manchester United went into the summer transfer window with a clear priority of adding a new striker to their squad, and their search ended with the signing of Benjamin Šeško from RB Leipzig.
The 22-year-old forward had been tracked by United for several years and was widely regarded as one of the most exciting young centre-forwards in European football.
However, his early days at Old Trafford have proven challenging. Šeško has been handed three starts so far but is still waiting to register his first goal in a United shirt.
His latest appearance came in the clash with Chelsea, where his evening was cut short. Following Casemiro’s dismissal late in the first half, the striker was withdrawn at the break as United reshuffled their line-up in response to going a man down.
United ‘should have signed’ ex-Man City star instead of Šeško
While many fans are willing to give Šeško time, and have been encouraged by his performances, others believe United have made a mistake by going for another inexperienced centre-forward.
Former Arsenal player Paul Merson has suggested that the Slovenian international does not suit playing alongside Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.
He claims that the Reds should have instead made an ambitious move for ex-Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez, who joined Atletico Madrid for £82 million in the summer of 2024.
“Manchester United are not playing the kind of football that suits him. Bryan Mbeumo wants to score goals and Matheus Cunha likes to dribble” Merson said of Šeško to Sportskeeda.
“I don’t expect either of them to drift wide and swing in crosses for Šeško. I honestly don’t know where Šeško will get his first goal from at the moment and it’s a massive worry for United.
“They should have gone for a striker like Julian Alvarez, that type of player would have worked well with Mbeumo and Cunha.”
Šeško learning about United pressure
Šeško is quickly learning what it means to be a Manchester United player. Despite having less than 300 minutes on a pitch for the club, major claims are already being made.
Merson claimed that Mbeumo does not cross the ball enough when the Cameroonian attempted the most crosses of any Premier League player last season.
Bruno Fernandes also attempted the third-most crosses in that campaign. It is something that United will start using to try and utilise Šeško’s strengths.
But the striker will already know that the pressure will only increase if he doesn’t start hitting the back of the net soon.
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