Slovenia manager Matjaž Kek is confident that Benjamin Sesko will overcome his slow start to life at Manchester United after opening his goalscoring account for the club.
Ruben Amorim emphasised the need for firepower in attack over the summer when Manchester United signed five new players.
Three of those deals saw attack-minded players move to Old Trafford, but only one of those players is a centre forward, as Ineos sanctioned a £66m deal for Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig.
Sesko has shown glimpses of brilliance during his first few performances, but he will be hoping to add more goals to his game over the coming months.
The Slovenia international scored his first goal of the season in United’s 3-1 defeat against Brentford last weekend.
Amorim is pleased with Sesko, but he must work on getting the best out of the 22-year-old, especially after failing to do so with Rasmus Hojlund.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty ImagesMatjaž Kek addresses Benjamin Sesko’s difficult start at Man Utd
Slovenia manager Matjaž has spoken about Sesko’s difficult start to life at United.
Sesko has played seven games since joining the club, scoring one goal, which came in the last match, so there is hope it’s the start of something.
Those in Slovenia will also be concerned about Sesko’s form on the international stage because he hasn’t scored in his past five games for the country.
Speaking to Nogomet, Kek stressed that Sesko has jumped from the Bundesliga to the most difficult level there is in football — that, on top of playing for United, a team watched by the world, with more scrutiny than the rest.
“This is the competitive level that is the most watched, but also the most difficult,” Kek said.
“The numbers are huge. When the numbers start to turn around with some transfers, when various analyses start, when the ratings increase, it is clear that you are increasingly exposed.
“This is comparable to the exposure of players in the NBA or the exposure of the top 10 tennis players. It is clear that behind a club that has marked the history of world football, but is currently not among the top ten, there is a large mass of fans with a critical view. The club is under scrutiny, the public analyses everything good and everything bad. There is much more of the latter at the moment. Only the best are capable of surviving this and proving themselves at this level.”
Kek went on to add that he believes Sesko will succeed at United.
“My personal opinion is, and not only because I am Benjamin Šeško’s coach, that sooner or later he will succeed. If you want to be at this level, you have to be the best. Not only on the field, but you also have to be able to accept everything that happens around you. Along with all the negative criticism. He scored a goal in the last match, but what does that matter if the team loses. It is a process that is not easy.”
When can Benjamin Sesko end his goal drought for Slovenia?
United have one more game to play before the October international break.
Several members of United’s first team will be called up to their international squads this week before they take on Sunderland in the Premier League.
Sesko is expected to be called up to the Slovenia squad for their games against Kosovo and Switzerland.
The next chance for Sesko to end his goal drought for Slovenia is next week when they travel to face Kosovo on October 10. It would lift a lot of pressure off his shoulders.