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Having finished the previous campaign with Wout Weghorst as the starting option in attack, Manchester United will hope to have ended their longstanding centre-forward woes with the signing of Danish superstar, Rasmus Hojlund, with the 20-year-old joining from Atalanta on a deal that could rise to £72m.
After years of short-term signings in the striking department – including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo – the promising marksman could be the man to lead the line for the foreseeable future, with the Old Trafford outfit seemingly crying out for a prolific presence through the middle.
The Red Devils could, however, have found a dream, long-term centre-forward option far sooner – and for far cheaper – in the form of Slovenian sensation, Benjamin Sesko, with the towering hotshot looking like another case of one that got away for United.
Why didn’t Man United sign Benjamin Sesko?
The Premier League giants are no strangers to having snubbed the chance to sign exciting young strikers on the cheap, with the most famous example seeing the club fail to pounce to land Erling Haaland – who scored 52 goals for rivals Manchester City last season – on a measly £4m deal from Norwegian side, Molde.
Described as the ‘next Haaland’, young Sesko is another forward who had caught the eye of the United hierarchy in the recent past, with The Athletic revealing that the powers that be had the chance to sign the then-teenager from Domzale in 2019.
As per the report, the Slovenian side had been demanding just £2.5m if they were to sanction the sale of the 6 foot 4 starlet, albeit with those back in Manchester believed to have viewed that valuation as ‘excessive’ at the time.
That decision to pass up the chance to sign the Radece-born “Machine Man” – as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig – remains a true headscratcher, particularly with the in-form powerhouse seeing his price tag rise substantially in recent times.
How much is Sesko worth now?
Following a subsequent move to Austrian side, Red Bull Salzburg in 2019, the emerging talent particularly impressed during his extended loan spell at FC Liefering, bagging 22 goals and six assists in just 44 outings, prior to returning to his parent club.
The 22-cap international – who already has seven goals for his country – made a rather smooth transition to life back at Salzburg after recording 40 goal involvements in just 79 games across the last two seasons, sparking renewed interest from United last summer.
Despite claims that technical director John Murtough was holding talks with the player’s agent, it was later confirmed that the prolific gem had sealed a move to sister club, RB Leipzig – with the Daily Mail reporting that the fee was as high as £55m.
That represents a 2100% increase in value in relation to what the Red Devils could have signed him for just four years ago, with Erik ten Hag likely ruing the fact that the previous regime did not do more to get their hands on a potentially “generational” talent – as hailed by journalist Ryan Taylor.
Life in Germany has already started brightly for the 20-year-old as he has two goals from just two Bundesliga outings so far this term, while also catching the eye with one goal and two assists in a recent standout showing against Northern Ireland in Euro 2024 qualifying.
As such, even if Hojlund does go on to prove a success in English football, United could potentially have snapped up a similarly exciting asset to the Copenhagen native in the form of Sesko, albeit without having had to break the bank.