It appeared to be the defining moment of the game, and potentially Manchester United’s season, when Benjamin Sesco’s header hit the wooden frame and failed to seal the deal.
Fulham’s subsequent late rally likely had the Slovenian in the headlines for the wrong reasons, but in the dying embers the 22-year-old certainly made front page news.
Pouncing on a sharp pullback from Bruno Fernandes, the £74m summer signing produced his trademark spin and strike, racing towards the roof of the net without seeing his intended target.
His sixth goal in six months in Manchester may be looked at harshly, but the post-Ruben Amorim era was the catalyst for United’s return to the number 30 shirt, and this weekend’s win was arguably their best moment yet.
It’s been a learning curve, okay, but Sesco is starting to blossom now – can he combine it with the best in the future?
Comparison of Sesco with other Premier League striker contracts
This summer was a busy one for centre-forwards, with Premier League clubs all looking for a new attacking figurehead. The big number 9 is back in fashion.
Reported to be an Arsenal target, Sesco is certainly not the most expensive summer signing, far outweighing Alexander Isak’s £125 million deal, the most expensive player in British history.
Despite this saga, Isak has scored just two league goals for his new team, Liverpool, and has been overshadowed by arguably this season’s biggest striker success story, Hugo Ekitike, who scored a top-flight 10 goals at Anfield.
Ekitike was at one point linked with a move to Isak’s former team, Newcastle United, but the Magpies ended up signing Stuttgart’s Nick Waltemade instead, with the German slumping slightly after a lively start, scoring a total of seven league goals.
That tally still puts him ahead of the man who could move to Old Trafford, Victor Gokeres, but the once prolific Swede has endured a tough time at the Emirates, scoring just six goals for the Premier League leader.
Signing of selected PL strikers – 25/26 | |
|---|---|
player | the goal |
horse riding | 10 |
J. Pedro | 9 |
Calvert Lewin | 9 |
walte made | 7 |
Gokeres | 6 |
Sesco | 5 |
Blobby | 5 |
Isaac | 2 |
Delap | 1 |
Meanwhile, moves within the top flight have paid off, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Joao Pedro scoring nine goals each for Leeds United and Chelsea, but Pedro’s teammate Liam Delap at Stamford Bridge scored the only goal in the league.
Sesco, a new Sunderland signing who is level with former Erik ten Hag target Brian Brobbie on five league goals, has shown signs of life recently but clearly still ranks towards the bottom of this costly list.
Somewhat frustratingly, he has also been beaten by United’s recent past…
Former Manchester United player has outperformed Sesco 10 years after leaving the club
Lately, it’s been a pain to analyze who the Red Devils should and shouldn’t have sold, and there are actually only a few players they should have kept.
Scott McTominay and Álvaro Carreras remain notable examples of INEOS, but you have to go further back for other actual potential mistakes, such as Jose Mourinho memorably admitting that he “never would have sold” any of Angel Di Maria, Javier Hernandez or Danny Welbeck.
The trio all left under manager Louis van Gaal, but the latter two’s departures were particularly sobering, especially given the lack of centre-forward depth at United’s disposal at the time.
As for Welbeck, the enigmatic Dutchman was critical of his goal-scoring record at the club, having agreed to be sold to rivals Arsenal for just £16 million in the summer of 2014.
Injuries plagued his time with the Gunners, but more than 11 years after leaving Old Trafford, the Englishman has definitely set the tone for his career and is pushing for a wildcard World Cup place this summer.
The veteran striker, now 35, is a key player in Fabian Hürzeler’s Brighton & Hove Albion side and has scored 46 goals in 187 appearances for the Seagulls.
This season has been particularly impressive, with the Mancunian scoring eight goals in the league and nine in all competitions in a comfortable win over Sesco, two of which ironically came at the Theater of Dreams.
The veteran sharpshooter hit a nerve-wracking free-kick late in United’s 4-2 win over the South Coast side in October, and his most recent FA Cup deciding goal, hitting the roof of the net with his weak foot.
Having only scored 10 goals in the league last season, Welbeck’s game has matured over the years, with Old Trafford fans praising him in the latest cup campaign, recognizing his current influence and links with his former club.
In fact, the striker himself suggested in October that this was the “best” Red Devils team he had faced in years, but wouldn’t it have been a little better if he had led the line ahead of the inexperienced Sesco?
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