I’ve discovered Benjamin Sesko’s secret weapon at Man Utd that will prove all his critics are wrong

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Football agents brutally named Benjamin Sesko as the worst summer signing in the Premier League.

Benjamin Sesko arrived at Manchester United in a £74million deal from RB Leipzig but endured a difficult start to life at Old Trafford, drawing a blank in his first six matches.

But the striker then scored two in two heading into the current international break and showed real promise when linking up with his team-mates in and around the box.

Unfairly, however, it appears the die has already been cast, and his critics are not budging.

I’ve watched every minute Sesko has played this season, and here is why his doubters are all wrong.

Benjamin Sesko will succeed at Man United

In a survey from The Athletic, six of the 20 agents who participated selected Sesko as the top-flight’s worst deal, claiming it was overpriced and that it came too soon in his career.

The timing of their responses was, at the very least, questionable, especially after the 22-year-old scored against Brentford and Sunderland in consecutive games.

He then joined up with his Slovenia team-mates but drew a blank against Kosovo for the exact same reason he hasn’t quite taken off at United: a lack of quality service.

The statistics underpinning his positive performances prove he will come good, however.

First of all, Sesko has taken 12 shots in the Premier League this season, guiding six of them on target. Considering he has started just four games, this number feels about right.

From those six efforts on goal, he has scored twice, generating an xG of 1.9. Again, there is nothing glaring for supporters to be concerned about here. In fact, he is performing at the equivalent of a steady par.

Delve deeper, though, and a fascinating trend becomes apparent. Indeed, a look at where he is taking his shots, and how, showcases a player clearly still finding his feet in the Premier League, but also one who is steadily clicking through the gears, becoming better and better.

Just two of his shots have been speculative efforts from outside the area. The rest have come inside the 18-yard-old box, while both of his goals were from a matter of yards out.

This tight zone has historically been Sesko’s bread and butter, and United simply must feed him more there.

He has also created five chances while taking just 18 touches inside the box, an impressive conversion rate. So, when he does get the ball inside the area, he tends to fashion a chance to pull the trigger, either for himself or a team-mate. Again, this is a major positive.

The cherry on top of the cake is his hold-up play. Sesko has won 16 aerial duels this season and possesses a formidable leap, making him difficult to handle for even the most physical top-flight defenders. Yes, he cost a pretty penny, but the fundamentals are there.

All he needs now is time.

Wayne Rooney praises Benjamin Sesko

Wayne Rooney certainly believes Sesko will come good at United, and couldn’t speak highly enough of his physicality after the victory against Sunderland.

“I think he’s a handful, and he uses his body well,” said Rooney.

“He challenges for balls, and it makes it easier for [Bryan] Mbeumo, [Matheus] Cunha when he’s on, or [Mason] Mount to make runs in behind him. So I think that’s clearly something they’ve worked on.

“And obviously getting another goal, I think, will help him. So, I think for all the players, the win was massive. The manager, the win was massive and much needed.”