- Sesko signs for Man Utd
- Hojlund linked with exit
- Red Devils urged to keep Dane
United confirmed the signing of RB Leizpig striker Sesko on Saturday, potentially casting doubt on Hojlund’s Old Trafford future. Amid links with AC Milan, ex-Red Devils forward Berbatov feels that the Slovenian’s arrival does not have to be the end of Hojlund; rather, he can use this as motivation to compete for a starting spot.
He told The Mirror: “I am excited with him [Sesko] going to United, but at the same time I am a bit cautious because [Joshua] Zirkzee and Hojlund were performing great in their previous clubs. I watched how they moved, how they bullied defenders, how they scored goals, but then going to the Premier League, they found it difficult to adjust. And the stats speak for themselves, right? Three goals, four goals, for a striker, you are going to be disappointed with yourself. So it’s not easy, and is it the speed? Is it the new team? Is it the new environment? Is it most of the time the expectation people put on you because when you are number nine of United, you need to score goals, you need to perform, this is your job, this is your job description. Of course, there is so much more to being number nine. Dropping down deep, getting the ball, then releasing your team-mates. Running of course, defending when you need to defend, release the spaces for the other team-mates. It’s a lot more to [being a] number nine these days, but ultimately it’s about the goals you score. It was difficult campaign for them and it’s a difficult period that they are going through, and now with another striker coming in, of course the competition is going to be high. When you buy a striker now you start to think, ‘Well am I going to play? Is my place in United? Am I still belonging here? Do I need to start looking for a club?’ Or maybe then you start thinking, ‘Alright, I like the competition. Now I’m going to show you. Now I’m going to fight for my place. Now I’m going to bring the fire.’ So it’s a two-way scenario. You choose the one I said or the other. So let’s see what they are going to bring to the table as well.”
As Berbatov alludes to, Hojlund scored just four Premier League goals last season, and fellow forward Zirkzee added a paltry three of his own. United have struggled for goals for years, but now they hope that Sesko’s arrival, along with summer recruits Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, can solve that problem. And perhaps Hojlund can be part of that solution, with the 22-year-old vowing to fight for his place at the club.
Hojlund will hope to impress in United’s final pre-season game against Fiorentina on Saturday before the new Premier League campaign starts next weekend. Incidentally, Berbatov added what Amorim must do to make the Dane feel wanted at the club.
He said: “You always want the competition, but at the same time, as a striker, because we think we’re special, you need to feel welcome and wanted in the team, by the coach, by everybody. Then your motivation is going to be higher and your self-esteem is going to be higher. It’s a lot of factors. It’s not easy, but it’s all in the head.”
