Manchester United club legend Wes Brown was pretty prescient with his public comments last week. “I still think it’d be nice if we had someone to help Rasmus (Hojlund) out,” he told a very small group of reporters, in Chicago, on the eve of United’s 4-1 win over AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League Summer Series.
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Well, United certainly got some help, and then some, for Hojlund. They actually went out and someone better than the Danish striker.
Benjamin Sesko reportedly passed his medical on Friday, and now he’s set to be unveiled as the newest member of the team at Old Trafford on Saturday.
So what does that ultimately mean for Hojlund? We’ll get to that in a bit
Brown, a winner of 13 trophies during his time at United, appeared at a youth soccer clinic staged at the Chicago Fire pitch (this interview was conducted a week before the Sesko signing news broke).
He was asked about United’s link-up play between the creative midfielders and the finishers.
Who will provide the service that will lead to the scoring this season?
“We still have to stick with Bruno (Fernandes),” the winner of five Premier League titles and two UEFA Champions League titles responded.
“He’s our main guy, but obviously, the two lads we just bought (Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford and Matheus Cunha from Wolves) they’re creators and assist players in themselves.
“Probably the best players at their previous clubs- the way they get on the ball, turn, attack teams. We’ve missed a little bit of that last season.
“We couldn’t break teams down, as you know, as often as we would have liked. We got to certain positions in the field, and we struggled, you know.
“I still think it’d be nice if we had someone to help Rasmus out, but he looked really good the other day. You know he looked strong, quick, fast, and he’ll be raring to go.
“A lot of pressure on such a young kid at a big club. And knowing his character, he’s a sort of player that is able to handle that.
“And hopefully, with the two players we’ve just brought in, it can help provide more goals.”
Hojlund has made it clear that he wants to stay put at Old Trafford and fight for his place in the team. However, the club are reportedly willing to let him this go summer, provided they get the right offer.
As cited in the Evening Standard
Fabrizio Romano adds that United are open to letting Hojlund leave on loan with an option to buy this summer, having initially insisted on a £40m permanent exit, while Gianluca Di Marzio report that Milan are in pole position to sign the 22-year-old.
So we’ll just have to wait and see what happens with Hojlund.
Scoring was probably United’s biggest problem last season, and the goals never really came because they were a side that just didn’t create enough scoring chances.
United had their worst ever finish in the Premier League last season, and drastic changes were absolutely required this summer.
This is especially true in attack.
Brown was asked if creating more chances will be the key to getting things turned around this upcoming season.
“Felt last year there was a lot of pressure on Bruno as well,” Brown continued.
“I mean, he was fantastic but with just a few more skillful players who obviously like to assist, like to score themselves, we (would) just create more chances…results matter, more than anything at Man United now, but preseason- we’re talking about getting your fitness right, and just basically getting ready for that first game.”
That first game, a visit from Arsenal, is just eight days away now.
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