Benjamin Sesko was handed a second successive start for Manchester United in their 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest, but Gary Neville was not impressed by the striker’s display
Gary Neville has delivered a brutal assessment of Benjamin Sesko – insisting that the striker is ‘well off it’ despite flashes of promise in Manchester United’s 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest.
The Slovenia international, who sealed his move to Old Trafford during the summer from RB Leipzig for an initial £66.4million fee, has yet to demonstrate his finest form. United had made signing a striker their top priority, with Sesko being one of three forwards to join the club alongside Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha.
The Red Devils’ primary target had been Viktor Gyokeres, who instead opted to join rivals Arsenal, his favoured destination. Sesko, however, was pinpointed as an alternative choice, having been monitored by the club since way back in 2022.
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Since the campaign began, Sesko has been handed six starts under Ruben Amorim. At the City Ground, he was given consecutive starts after providing an assist in last weekend’s 4-2 triumph over Brighton.
During the first half, the 22-year-old had several opportunities come his way, but then found himself restricted to minimal chances after the break. Neville, however, expressed his frustration with Sesko’s display and continues to demand greater output from him.
“I’m no further forward with him. The jury is out,” Neville told NBC Sports. “He’s well off it compared to the other summer signings that Man United made up front in Cunha and Mbeumo.
“He looks awkward, he had a couple of really good opportunities in the first half – when balls got played over the top. And his touch wasn’t quite right.
“For £80million, you can say he’s young, or has a lot of potential and he’s only just settling in, but you still want to see a bit more.” United were hoping to grab a fourth straight triumph after defeating Sunderland, rivals Liverpool and then Brighton, but were forced to accept a stalemate at the City Ground.
Casemiro put Amorim’s team ahead, albeit in controversial fashion, and Morgan Gibbs-White and Nicola Savona netted within two minutes of the restart to flip the match on its head. Amad salvaged a point with less than ten minutes left on the clock.
Following the final whistle, Amorim commended his squad’s battling qualities – after they fell behind.
“I feel in the recent past if we had had this situation, going from 1-0 up to 2-1 down, we would’ve struggled so much more than we did today,” the Portuguese head coach said.
“My feeling is that we played well, but we dropped a little bit of energy. When we are full of energy, we’re the better team. My players are giving everything, but we have the potential to do better and sometimes we have these moments.
“In the end, we lost two points and we need to get three points in the next game.”
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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
