Former forward turned pundit Paul Merson has slammed Manchester United for signing Benjamin Sesko instead of Julian Alvarez.
The Red Devils struggled with goal-scoring problems in the Premier League last term, netting only 44 times. So, they decided to revamp the frontline this summer, signing the Slovenian for a fee of around £74m for the centre-forward position after letting Rasmus Hojlund leave.
However, the 22-year-old has had a slow start at Old Trafford, failing to make any goal contributions in six appearances across all competitions.
Now, on Sportskeeda, Merson says that it is hard to see how Sesko is going to get the opportunity to score his first goal for United, as neither Matheus Cunha nor Bryan Mbeumo is a creative player.
They are more goal scorers and don’t like to go wide and deliver crosses. So, Ruben Amorim’s side should have gone for a striker like Alvarez to bolster the striker position, as he would have worked better alongside Cunha and Mbeumo.
Merson said:
“Benjamin Sesko needs better service to score goals. Manchester United are not playing the kind of football that suits him. Bryan Mbeumo wants to score goals and Matheus Cunha likes to dribble. I don’t expect either of them to drift wide and swing in crosses for Sesko.
“I honestly don’t know where Sesko will get his first goal from at the moment and it’s a massive worry for United. They should have gone for a striker like Julian Alvarez, that type of player would have worked well with Mbeumo and Cunha.”
Man Utd slammed for signing Sesko
Alvarez is a top-class player and has been displaying impressive performances at Estadio Metropolitano since joining from Manchester City last summer. He even guided Atletico Madrid to victory against Rayo Vallecano in a La Liga fixture by scoring a hat-trick in midweek.
Therefore, he would have definitely been a great coup for Man Utd had they managed to buy him. He previously showcased his qualities in the Premier League during his time with Man City, so he would have been a risk-free acquisition.
However, he joined Atletico Madrid for a huge fee last year, and they wouldn’t want to sell him this summer unless United submitted an unrefusable proposal. So, signing Alvarez would have been extremely difficult.
Meanwhile, although Sesko has been average early on this season, the 22-year-old is a highly talented player and possesses the potential to become a world-class forward in the future.
