As the summer transfer window heats up, all eyes are on Benjamin Sesko, the highly-rated RB Leipzig striker heavily linked with a sensational move to Manchester United. The Slovenian international has rapidly emerged as one of European football’s most coveted talents, prompting intriguing comparisons between his burgeoning goal-scoring record and the early career statistics of legendary Manchester United forwards, Wayne Rooney and Eric Cantona.
The pursuit of Sesko is intensifying, with reports suggesting a significant transfer fee of around £64 million would be required to prise him away from the Bundesliga club. Manchester United are reportedly battling fierce rivals, including Newcastle, for the 22-year-old’s signature. Sesko operates primarily as a target man, yet possesses the impressive pace and agility to frequently get in behind opposing defences, making him a versatile and dangerous prospect for any top-tier club.
Sesko’s journey to prominence began in Austria with RB Salzburg, where he first showcased his formidable goal-scoring ability. In his inaugural ‘proper’ season as a starting striker, he netted a commendable 11 goals for the club, laying a solid foundation for his future trajectory. The following year, during the 2022/23 campaign, he significantly improved upon these numbers, finding the back of the net 18 times, a performance that earned him a well-deserved promotion to RB Leipzig in the German Bundesliga.
His transition to the higher demands of the Bundesliga proved seamless, as Sesko continued his prolific form. In his debut year for Leipzig, he replicated his previous season’s tally, scoring an impressive 18 goals in all competitions. This consistency underscored his adaptability and quality, dismissing any doubts about his ability to perform at an elite level. Last year, his goal tally soared even further to 21 goals, solidifying his reputation as one of the most promising young strikers in European football.
To truly appreciate Sesko’s early career achievements, it’s insightful to compare them with the formative years of two of Manchester United’s most iconic number nines: Wayne Rooney. Rooney, a prodigious talent who burst onto the scene with Everton before his celebrated move to Old Trafford, set an incredibly high bar for young strikers. Many would consider him the benchmark for emerging attacking prowess in English football.
Despite Rooney’s legendary status and early emergence, Sesko’s initial goal-scoring output holds up remarkably well. In his first full season at Everton, Rooney scored eight goals, followed by nine in his second year. Upon his much-anticipated transfer to Manchester United in 2004, Rooney netted 17 goals in his debut season, one fewer than Sesko’s third professional year. Furthermore, Rooney’s fourth year at United saw him score 19 goals, a tally still two goals shy of Sesko’s most recent 21-goal haul.
Turning our attention to another Old Trafford legend, the enigmatic Eric Cantona, his early career also provides a fascinating comparison point. Cantona, a French maestro who profoundly influenced Manchester United’s success, also took time to truly flourish as a prolific goalscorer in his initial professional years before reaching his peak at United.
In his first full season as a starting number nine, Cantona scored 17 goals for Auxerre in Ligue 1. However, his second season saw a dip to just 10 goals for the same club. After a spell with Bordeaux where he scored 11 goals in his third full year, Cantona registered 14 goals in his fourth season after moving to Montpellier. These figures, when stacked against Sesko’s consistent upward trajectory, highlight the Slovenian’s extraordinary early-career consistency and prolific nature, outperforming Cantona’s fourth-year tally by a significant seven goals.
Benjamin Sesko’s impressive goal-scoring record in his formative years, particularly when juxtaposed against the initial outputs of legends like Wayne Rooney and Eric Cantona, paints a compelling picture. While historical comparisons are always nuanced, Sesko’s consistent ability to find the net at an early stage of his career suggests he possesses the raw talent and finishing instincts required to potentially thrive in the intensely competitive environment of the Premier League, should a move to Manchester United materialize.
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