Wayne Rooney has jumped to the defence of Manchester United’s new striker Benjamin Šeško, saying that he has ‘been better than what people may be suggesting’.
Over the summer, Manchester United recruited an entirely new front-three, as well as a new goalkeeper in Senne Lammens, which has seen them drastically improve from last season.
After a dismal campaign in 2024/25, where the Reds finished 15th in the Premier League, changes were desperately needed, and it seems that Ruben Amorim’s side have got it right.
Despite the success of the Reds’ new forward line, there has been some criticism surrounding Benjamin Šeško, who has notched two goals in his 11 league appearances so far.
United legend Wayne Rooney has since jumped to the defence of the Red Devils new Slovenian powerhouse, claiming that he is better than what the club has had previously.
Rooney praises Šeško
When speaking on The Overlap’s fan debate, via United in Focus, Rooney has admitted that he thinks the narrative surrounding United’s new striker is wrong, and he finds the criticism unfair.
Rooney said, “I think he’s gone through a bit of a tough time in terms of goalscoring, but I think what he brings, and I agree with what Adam said in terms of, I think the keeper’s come in and done well, and he’s been more direct into Sesko.
“But what we’re seeing now is he can compete, he does hold the ball up better than [Rasmus] Højlund does, and we’re seeing as the ball’s gone up to him, and [Bryan] Mbeumo making runs in behind [Matheus] Cunha, making runs in behind Mason Mount at times, when he’s playing, making runs in behind him.
“So because they know he’ll compete and he’ll win flick-ons and he’ll do that. So I think he has been better than what people may be suggesting, but I still think he needs to just get the ball, get all, lay it off, get in the box, and hope the chances are created for him.”
United fans need patience
Given the history of the club, it is no surprise that fans of the Red Devils are desperate for their new strikers to immediately hit the ground running in front of goal.
Although United have a long-running history of employing legendary, ruthless strikers, this has gone astray in recent years, and the club need patience in order to get back to their ways of old.
Last season, Amorim’s side had Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee competing for a starting spot up front, and the two only combined for seven league goals between them.
Despite Šeško not firing on all cylinders so far, he clearly has the raw attributes and the work ethic to improve, but he will only reach his potential if the club are patient with him.
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