You know what they say- why buy a Ferrari if you’re just going to keep it in the garage, and not drive it? Manchester United splashed the cash to the tune of a cool $100,000,000 for Benjamin Sesko. Yes, the transfer fee paid to RB Leipzig for Sesko was £74 million, which is $100M, given the current exchange rate.
Any way you slice it, it’s a big chunk of change, so Sesko’s absence in the starting lineup today at Fulham FC is newsworthy.
Fellow summer signing Matheus Cunha started up top instead, with Mason Mount and Bryan Mbeumo rounding out the first team attack.
United manager Ruben Amorim explained his decision to Sky Sports (as reported by Goal)
“We tried to imagine what is going to happen during the game,” Amorim said.
“Our team needs to be consistent in the way that we control the game and we need to have options to play a different game on the bench. Sesko has had two weeks for us, he is trying to understand everything.
“We need to wait a little bit to help the player. We just want to win the game and try to help all of our players.”
So basically Sesko is simply just not acclimated yet, to the system that Amorim runs.
Sesko was also benched in the season opener, only coming on for Mount in the 65′.
It’s also worth noting that Rasmus Hojlund, the striker that United paid £72 million for in 2023 (to Atalanta), was left out of the squad entirely.
Hojlund was left out in the season opener as well, and that makes the message quite clear- he is not part of Amorim’s plans.
The Danish striker has been linked to AC Milan, as well to a couple of different clubs in Serie A.
United could have used Sesko in the first half, as they went to the break at Fulham in a nil-nil tie. Mason Mount won a penalty, but Bruno Fernandes missed badly on the spot kick, sending the ball skyward.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter