Manchester United have taken a gamble by signing Benjamin Sesko, according to a treble-winning former Red Devils' player.
Slovenian scored 13 Bundesliga goals last seasonUnited discarded Watkins, missed out on EkitikeHojlund 'let down' by clubFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Ruben Amorim's side splashed out up to £74 million ($100m) on the Slovenian striker, who scored 13 Bundesliga goals last season for RB Leipzig. And former United midfielder Nicky Butt believes they are taking a risk.
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Butt told GOAL, via BetMGM: "I 100 percent think they needed to create and score goals more. The forward line needed to be sorted out straight away and they seem to have done that. But I'd have liked to have seen us go and get a top class older player who is more established, because we don't know how the young lad Sesko is gonna be in the Premier League. It's a bit of a gamble, bit like Rasmus [Hojlund] to be fair. So the jury's out with that one."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Sesko's signing follows other big money moves for Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo but it leaves Hojlund with more competition for places and has led to suggestions that he could leave Old Trafford, just two years after his £72m signing from Atalanta. Butt added: "I think Hojlund has been let down a little bit. He's a young player brought into a big football club like Man Utd and all the weight is on his shoulders to go and perform and score goals week in, week out was too soon for him. And I hope that's not the case with the new lad but I'd have liked a more experienced example like Ollie Watkins working alongside him."
DID YOU KNOW?
Butt, however, understands why United have been so ruthless with Hojlund and signed a replacement after enduring their worst season in 51 years. He explained: "I don't think it's harsh, because this is the position the clubs in so there had to be some immediate changes. It was in dire straits. When you're winning things, you can give people time, even when you're not winning things but you're getting up the table and you're in European games, you can give people time. But the position that the club's in now, the manager can't afford and the owners or the board couldn't afford to give young players time and risk being in the bottom half the table again."