Manchester United splashed out £216million on new signings in what was Jason Wilcox’s first summer transfer window since he was promoted to director of football
Manchester United chief Jason Wilcox has predicted that Benjamin Sesko will be an ‘amazing player’, despite his slow start to life at Old Trafford. Sesko, 22, joined the Red Devils from RB Leipzig in a deal worth £66.4million plus a further £7.6m in potential add-ons.
The striker had been on United’s radar for a number of years, with Wilcox and his fellow bigwigs fighting off strong competition from Newcastle to land Sesko’s signature. But the Slovenian is yet to justify his price tag, albeit after just 11 games. Former captain Gary Neville recently described him as looking ‘awkward’ and ‘miles off it’, with Sesko having only scored two goals for the Red Devils.
But Wilcox, who was promoted to the role of director of football in June, predicts that the ex-Red Bull Salzburg star will come good. Speaking to club media, Wilcox proclaimed: “Benji, at the top end, he’s going to be an amazing player.
“It’s difficult to be the no.9 at United and I know sometimes that Matheus and Bryan are getting a lot of credit, but the runs that Benji is making is also helping Matheus [Cunha] and Bryan [Mbeumo] as well. All four of them have done really well, the summer signings from last year, they are top professionals.”
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Wilcox’s comments come after Neville gave a scathing assessment of Sesko’s performances, admitting that ‘the jury’s still out. “He’s miles off it compared to the other forwards United brought in, like Cunha and Mbeumo,” Neville told NBC Sports.
“He looks awkward, his touch was off a few times when balls went over the top. For £80m [sic], yes he’s young and still settling but you want to see something more.”
However, England legend Gary Lineker is more positive about the 22-year-old, describing him as ‘promising’. “One thing I would say is that their recruitment for the first time in some time looks pretty good,” Lineker said on the Rest Is Football.
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“Cunha looks a really good player and Mbeumo looks a really good player,” he said. “Sesko I think might show something, I think he is promising, so I think it has been better recruitment, but time will tell on that as well.”
Sesko hopes to prove his doubters wrong and score his third goal for United when Ruben Amorim’s side face Tottenham on Saturday in London. The Slovenia international will then be aiming to help his country qualify for the World Cup, as they host Kosovo and travel to Sweden later this month.
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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.
