Benjamin Sesko arrived at Manchester United this summer carrying the expectation that he could become the club’s long-term centre-forward. Michael Owen has already raised doubts, however, questioning whether United have enough reliable goals around their new striker to build a serious challenge under Michael Carrick.
Sesko’s reported £73million arrival represented another major investment in United’s attack after the additions of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha.
The Slovenian possesses many of the qualities Carrick needs from a modern striker, but Owen believes United’s wider goalscoring picture remains a concern.
What Benjamin Sesko can bring to Man Utd
Speaking to GOAL, Owen questioned whether Sesko alone is enough to solve United’s problems in front of goal.
That does not necessarily amount to criticism of the striker himself.
Sesko offers pace, strength and the ability to threaten space behind a defence. At 23, he also arrives with significant scope to improve rather than as a finished product.
The challenge is the responsibility United place on him.
A Premier League season combined with Champions League football and two domestic cup competitions will demand depth. Sesko cannot reasonably be expected to carry the entire goalscoring burden immediately.
Carrick has attacking options but needs reliability
United are not short of attacking players.
Mbeumo has already impressed during pre-season, while Cunha gives Carrick another proven Premier League scorer. Amad can contribute from wide areas and Joshua Zirkzee offers a different option through the middle.
Marcus Rashford’s reintegration provides another possibility.
ReadManUtd reported on Tuesday that Rashford is excited about playing for United again and working under Carrick after returning to the first-team group.
The issue is therefore less about numbers and more about consistency.
United need several players capable of regularly contributing goals rather than relying on one striker to reach 20 or more.
That is where Owen’s wider argument carries weight.
Sesko has the physical and technical qualities to become United’s long-term No.9, but his success will depend partly on whether Carrick can create an attack that shares the burden around him.
Writing off Sesko before his competitive United career has properly begun would be premature.
Expecting him to solve every attacking problem alone would be equally unrealistic.
United have invested heavily in giving Carrick more firepower. The next step is turning those options into a reliable supply of goals around their new centre-forward.
