Benjamin Sesko, who joined Manchester United from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig this summer, made his Premier League debut against Arsenal, losing 1-0 – and the Slovenian sniper, 22, has spoken out as highlights from his 25-minute cameo emerge.
Amorim’s team also opened with Matheus Cunha, Mason Mount, and Bryan Mbeumo spread out over the front line, which meant Sesko was limited to 25 minutes after replacing Mount to acclaim from the home crowd.
The football-obsessed centre-forward was presented in front of an Old Trafford crowd before their final pre-season friendly against Fiorentina, and as a result, Amorim did not think it was wise to start him against Mikel Arteta’s title-chasing Gunners.
Sesko Highlights vs Arsenal Emerge as Striker Speaks Out About Debut
Throughout the first half, United was outmatched in the penalty area, and Arsenal was able to defend David Raya, who was named Man of the Match.
Radece-born Sesko had two shots, created the same amount of chances, and had seven touches, four of which were in Arsenal’s penalty area. In comparison, Viktor Gyokeres had only three touches in United’s 60-minute game.
In the highlights package below, you can see how he can cause problems when the goalie, Bayindir in this case, goes far from goal kicks. The kid also did well in the box, which Amorim’s team struggled with in the first half, as seen by their inability to score.
Sesko’s greatest moment came when Leny Yoro found him with a clipped ball; the 22-year-old, with Gabriel Magalhaes on his back, controlled it with his chest before passing it to Manuel Ugarte with a beautiful back heel. His physicality, as well as his huge 6’5″ size, were on full display when he clashed aerially with Arsenal defenders.
In 2024/25, Sesko, who progressed through NK Domzale’s academy ranks prior to 2020, scored 21 goals and assisted six others in 45 games across all competitions. It remains to be seen whether his goal-scoring ability can translate into England’s top division, but his debut looked encouraging. After losing their season opener, Sesko took to Instagram, writing:
“I am proud to make my debut at Old Trafford, the Theatre of Dreams. It wasn’t our day today, it was a difficult and unlucky game, but we’ll keep pushing forward and doing our best together. This is just the beginning. “Come on Manchester United!”
Amorim reiterated Sesko’s sentiments in a post-match interview with Sky Sports. The 40-year-old, largely considered as one of the best young managers in international football, said: “Losing with a goal like this is difficult. We must be stronger at that moment, but we must do the same on the other side.
“We have to conform to the rules, which is difficult to accept today because we were the superior team. I’m quite proud of the boys. They were exceedingly daring in whatever they did throughout the game. Congratulations on the performance, but not on the result, as we lost at home.”
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