WHEN RUBEN Amorim described Benjamin Sesko as a “control freak”, he meant it as a compliment.
Those above Amorim at put their own spin on those comments after Amorim was sacked.
Sesko has scored seven goals for Manchester United this seasonCredit: Getty
Five of Sesko’s goals have come after Amorim was sackedCredit: Getty
Amorim had actually said he was convinced Sesko would “succeed” at the club. .
Training ground insiders say Sesko is working “harder than anyone” and is one of the most attentive players when it comes to reading tactical briefings.
The 22-year-old’s dedication to improvement goes beyond United’s Carrington training pitches. Sesko’s tactical analysis is so detailed that he wears virtual reality glasses that place him in in-game scenarios to enhance his ‘scanning’ of opponents.
Sesko regularly uses the sauna and red-light therapy to aid his recovery, speaks with a mental coach and does meditation. Sesko also employs a chef linked to United’s nutritionist, Filipe Sousa.
“Ben is doing a lot of work,” United head coach confirmed. “He’s in a good place, he’s ready to kick on.”
The willingness to learn from mistakes bodes well. At Tottenham in November, Sesko was played through on goal yet was unaware that Micky van de Ven was breathing down his neck .
Sesko sustained a knee injury in the challenge and was sidelined for six weeks.
Those who have known Sesko during his professional career maintain he always needed time to adapt at United.
Sesko regularly uses sauna and red light therapy to boost his recoveryCredit: Getty
At former clubs Liefering, Red Bull Salzburg and , Sesko hit his stride after a six or 12-month period of settling in.
Sesko had to earn his starting role at those clubs and it is the same at United. He has only started 13 times and United have played their best football without a specialist No.9 in their starting XI.
Sesko is six months into his United career and it has roughly coincided with his first scoring streak of five goals in six games. Four of those appearances have come off the bench.
is Sesko’s role model and Sesko’s agile volleys in the draws with and were reminiscent of the Swede.
Their personalities are the opposite, though. Ibrahimovic once chided for arriving at Carrington as though he was dressed “for the circus”.
Sesko is nowhere near as quotable.
Sesko won United the match against Fulham at the start of the monthCredit: Reuters
“He is a very good guy and a team player,” a source said. “These kinds of players are different leaders.
“He leads by example, by work, by his impact on the pitch. He is not a guy who comes into the dressing room on the first day and says, ‘I am the boss’.
“He earns respect by his work and impact on the pitch.”
The £73.62million transfer fee United agreed with Leipzig for Sesko increased the pressure on him. So did Newcastle’s interest.
Sesko signed for United in August and was hailed as a world class talentCredit: Getty
He uses virtual reality goggles to improve his tactical understanding of the gameCredit: Getty
The only goalscorers United and Newcastle have vied for in living memory were Alan Shearer and . Sesko will do phenomenally to be bracketed with them in a goalscoring context.
United director of football Jason Wilcox billed Sesko as “one of the most exceptional young talents in world football” with “world-class potential”.
Wilcox also trumpeted United’s data analysis of Sesko. He was a long-term recruit whereas , the other striker United weighed up a move for, would have cost roughly as much and turned 30 in December.
United have been here before with a striker who played in Austria before moving to a big-five European league. was not cut out for it at United.
Hojlund was frozen out in his final weeks at UnitedCredit: Getty
It is as if United are still attempting to make amends for missing out on in 2019. Haaland moved from Salzburg to Germany before Sesko followed the same path.
Hojlund was also compared with Haaland by some. They are Scandinavian, their surnames begin with an ‘h’ and end in a ‘d’ but that is about it.
Comparing Sesko with Haaland is futile. Someone who knows Sesko stressed that he was still playing for amateur Slovenian clubs in village leagues at the age of 15.
Senior figures at United were dismissive of Hojlund as far back as last season. They were keen to stress merely two months into this season that Sesko had already shown that he is a superior footballer to Hojlund.
United figures believe Sesko is already showing he is a superior player to HojlundCredit: EPA
Hojlund’s play off the ball was a major concern for Amorim whereas Sesko’s awareness and play outside the box has drawn plaudits on the training ground.
Sesko’s character wildly differs from Hojlund’s. Hojlund gained a reputation for crude, laddish social media posts and he bullishly spoke to journalists in Chicago to contradict what Amorim had said about his future.
After Sesko’s slick added-time winner against at the start of the month, he dutifully took part in the post-match warm-down and then headed inside for a massage.
He had been due to speak to journalists in the mixed zone, but the delay was so inordinate that staff were starting to lock up .
Sesko has earned rave reviews from United figures since his £74m arrivalCredit: Getty
“Sesko’s growth is different and so much bigger than most top players,” a well-placed source said.
“His starting position was much lower than most of them. He has so much space still to grow and at 22 he is already here.”
Carrick’s complimentary comments about Sesko on Tuesday night are not dissimilar to Amorim’s assessment of him back in November.
Amorim said: “We are going to help him and we are going to protect Ben because he works really hard and we want to succeed.
“So he’s going to succeed.”
But not under Amorim.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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