Even without the £74m transfer fee lingering over his head, Benjamin Sesko has huge expectations placed on his shoulders after his move to join Manchester United this summer.
The 22-year-old was signed by boss Ruben Amorim to try and inject a new lease of life into the frontline at Old Trafford after a dismal 2024/25 campaign.
His side only managed 44 goals in the Premier League last time around – a tally that was the fifth-lowest of any side in the division – with the three relegated sides included in such a group.
However, Sesko was chosen as the man to transform the situation, with the hierarchy forking out a pretty penny for his signature after netting 21 times for RB Leipzig in all competitions last term.
The Slovenian international will be hoping to make a better attempt at producing the goods than one player who struggled with the responsibility of leading the line.
Rasmus Hojlund’s lack of impact in 2024/25 for United
At this point, every fan up and down England will know how disappointing striker Rasmus Hojlund was for United last season – with the Dane only scoring on four occasions in the Premier League.
He also went 21 games without a goal across all competitions at one stage, further highlighting how little positive impact he had when called upon by Amorim.
However, his underlying stats showcase another level of disappointment that may not have been seen by many supporters at Old Trafford – the majority of which further reflect his lack of success.
Hojlund only averaged a total of 1.4 shots per 90 in the Premier League last season, a figure which ranks him in the bottom 1% of all attackers in the division, according to FBref’s metrics.
He also only produced an xG of 0.24 and an average of 0.5 shots on target per 90, with such numbers putting him in the 9th percentile for both the aforementioned areas.
Such figures highlight that the 22-year-old simply didn’t get enough efforts off on goal, but when they were, many were half chances that rarely troubled the opposition.
His lack of involvement is further evident by his average of just 23 touches of the ball per 90 – often being dominated by the opposition or even being bypassed in attacks by his teammates.
As a result, the hierarchy decided to offload him during the summer transfer window, with the forward joining Napoli on loan with a conditional obligation to buy – a decision that may come back to bite them…
The United player who could become the next Hojlund
Despite making the right call in allowing Hojlund to depart, the Danish international has moved back to Italy with a vengeance – something which is already evident in his tallies in 2025/26.
The 22-year-old has featured just six times for Antonio Conte’s side across all competitions, but has already made an immediate impact, netting four goals to date.
Two of his efforts came in the Champions League against Sporting CP, whilst his remaining strikes came in Serie A – both of which proved to be match winners.
Such a tally is more than double that of any current Red Devils first-team member at present, highlighting why Amorim’s side could live to regret his departure in the long term.
However, the club need to be careful they don’t suffer the same fate with academy grade Kobbie Mainoo, given his recent decline in minutes under the 40-year-old.
The England international was seen as one of the country’s hottest prospects a matter of months ago, especially after he scored in the FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City back in May 2024.
He was named in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024 as a result, even featuring in all but one contest as the Three Lions fell at the final hurdle against Spain.
Mainoo’s rapid rise to stardom led to Alex Turk labelling him a future “£100m+ footballer”, but he’s struggled to have the same impact since Amorim’s arrival at the club.
He only started a total of 18 games in England’s top-flight last season, resulting in the player himself requesting a loan move away from the club to gain valuable game time elsewhere.
Games played
25
Minutes played
1656
Pass accuracy
87%
Chances created
1.7
Successful dribbles
1.3
Tackles won
63%
Duels won
5.9
Interceptions made
1.2
Recoveries made
4.8
However, such a request was dismissed first hand, but the situation is yet to change for the 20-year-old, with his only start in 2025/26 coming in the Carabao Cup defeat to Grimsby Town.
He’s made five substitute appearances in the league at present, totalling just 113 minutes, with the player once again likely to be fuming with his lack of first-team action.
Should the situation continue to deteriorate in the coming months, the club could be forced to part ways with the player and cash in on him while his value is at its highest.
Such a situation is unthinkable given his previous success at Old Trafford, but it appears as though the manager simply favours players such as Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte ahead of the youngster.
However, Hojlund’s situation should be at the forefront of the board’s thinking, with United running the risk of once again allowing a top prospect to depart way too prematurely.