Should Benjamin Šeško be given a starting role?
· Yahoo Sports
It has been 13 years since Manchester United last won a Premier League title – and coincidentally, the last time they had a world-class center forward. From renowned veterans like Edinson Cavani, Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku, and promising young talents like Joshua Zirkzee, Anthony Martial, and Rasmus Højlund, United have splurged a fortune on center forwards, but none of them have come close to matching the impact left by Robin van Persie. However, it seems that United might very well have found a center forward who can lead the club back to the glory days and establish himself as one of the game’s top 9s: Benjamin Šeško.
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Born on May 31, 2003, Šeško left his native Slovenia at 16 years of age and joined Red Bull Salzburg, initially starting off with their reserve team FC Liefering and scoring 22 goals and 6 assists in 44 games in the Austrian second-tier, before graduating to the first team in January 2021. Šeško impressed for Salzburg’s first team, racking up 29 goals and 11 assists in 79 appearances and guiding them to three Austrian Bundesliga titles and one Austrian Cup, before making the move to RB Leipzig in 2023. He was gradually eased into the side before catching fire during the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, finishing with 18 goals and 2 assists in 42 appearances and helping Leipzig defeat Bayern Munich in the DFL-Super Cup. Šeško continued to build on his performances in Germany and established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s top young forwards in 2024/25 with 21 goals and 6 assists in 45 appearances. Not only did he finish as Leipzig’s top scorer, but he was also able to prove his mettle against the continent’s best sides and find the back of the net against the likes of Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Sporting, Bayern Munich (twice), and Eintracht Frankfurt.
It’s why on August 9, 2025, Manchester United announced the signing of Šeško on a five-year contract for €76.5 million, with an additional €8.5 million in performance-related bonuses. As the club’s first-ever Slovenian player, Šeško initially struggled to find his footing in the season’s opening weeks as United stumbled out of the gates under Rúben Amorim, losing in each of his first three starts vs. Manchester City, Grimsby Town and Brentford. However, the third time would nevertheless prove to be the charm for Šeško, who opened his scoring account on September 27 against the Bees, and who proceeded to build on his momentum with a goal vs. Sunderland and an assist vs. Brighton in the Premier League season’s following weeks. Unfortunately for him, that progress came to a screeching halt after he sustained an injury to his left knee in a 2-2 draw vs. Tottenham Hotspur, missing over a month of action before returning to the side against Bournemouth.
Desperate for a new dimension in attack, Šeško was given the start in United’s next six matches, the last of which saw him score a goal vs. Brighton and a brace at Burnley, before being dropped entirely from their Manchester derby, followed by a late cameo against Arsenal. Šeško then came on for the final quarter-hour against Fulham, watching as the Cottagers scored twice in quick succession to level proceedings. But just when they looked headed for a stalemate, Šeško stepped up and delivered with a 94th-minute winner, latching onto a cross from Bruno Fernandes, taking a composed touch and settling it with his right, before rattling a rocket of a shot into the top-right corner. This, however, was not enough for him to earn a start in their following match against Tottenham, with Šeško once again replacing Matheus Cunha with a quarter-hour remaining.
It was more of the same in their following match at West Ham, with Šeško replacing Cunha in the 69th minute as United searched for a goal. It seemed that West Ham were on their way towards a famous victory and a vital three points in their fight to stay up – no matter how hard United pushed, they simply couldn’t find an answer. Answer: Šeško. Somehow, someway, the Slovenian striker managed to deflect a low, tepid cross from Bryan Mbuemo and deftly flick the ball into the back of the net, stealing a point at the death for United. And when United found themselves nullified by a stubborn Everton defense, Michael Carrick once again brought on Šeško for Amad Diallo. It took him precisely 12 minutes to repay his trust, with Cunha slicing the Toffees’ defense with an immaculate through ball and Mbuemo breaking on the counter before finding Šeško, who zoomed forward from one box to the other before coolly slotting in the game’s sole goal.
Just like he did in his maiden Bundesliga campaign, Šeško has gradually bided his time before exploding onto the scene in the new year: no player has scored more non-penalty Premier League goals in 2026 than Šeško (5). It begs the question – should Carrick consider dropping Cunha, Mbuemo or Diallo and giving Šeško a run in the starting XI? Or, should he look to continue a winning formula that has seen United take 16 points from a possible 18, and that sees them sitting fourth in the Premier League table, three points behind Aston Villa and three above Chelsea and Liverpool.
Whatever the answer is, one thing’s for sure: Benjamin Šeško is more than capable of becoming Manchester United’s next world-class center forward.