Rio Ferdinand details concerns with Man Utd summer signing

Rio Ferdinand details concerns with Man Utd summer signing - 'I don't know what he is'

Benjamin Sesko is yet to start a game for Manchester United since his £72m move from Red Bull Leipzig and Rio Ferdinand is worried that his team-mates aren't allowing him to show off his ability

Rio Ferdinand has claimed he "doesn't know what Benjamin Sesko is" after two sub appearances for Manchester United (Image: Getty Images)

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has expressed concern over new signing Benjamin Sesko and admitted "I don't know what he is" after two substitute appearances.

‌

United bought Sesko from Red Bull Leipzig for £72million this summer but the Slovenian international is yet to make his first start under Ruben Amorim.

‌

He played the final 25 minutes of their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on the opening day and was sent on for 37 minutes in the 1-1 draw at Fulham on Sunday, failing to make an impact in either game.

‌

Amorim has been desperate for a reliable new striker who can guarantee his United side a steady supply of goals but in both games so far he has used Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount in attack. None of them are out-and-out forwards.

Former United defender Ferdinand said he couldn't understand why Sesko wasn't receiving the ball more to help him show off his true ability, saying it was hindering his progress at Old Trafford.

"Get the ball into him," he told his Rio Ferdinand Presents show on YouTube. "He isn’t going to be an easy day’s work. Get it into him and make them defend. But we are playing it around him. Sometimes it’s like really basic, fundamental things.

‌

"Get it into someone who can cause problems but we go against that. So that was my main concern, you are not getting to see who he is."

Ferdinand said it would be better to get Sesko on the ball even if he makes mistakes because it was difficult to see what kind of player United have signed.

Ruben Amorim is yet to start Sesko, who hasn't made an impact off the bench (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

‌

"I would rather you play it into him and he look rubbish so we know what we’ve got because, right now, I don’t know what he is or what he’s doing. I’m not pointing the finger but you have got to help your team-mates find their feet in the team."

Sesko - who scored 21 goals last season - was tipped to replace Rasmus Hojlund, who has suffered some poor form since his own big-money move to United in 2023. Sesko will hope to get more minutes in the coming games against Grimsby and Burnley.

Ferdinand was also critical of United's performance in general against Fulham, claiming Amorim's side failed to make their dominance count and accused his old team of "letting them off the hook".

‌

He added: "I would have thought every Fulham fan, player and member of staff would have been going, 'What’s happening here? This isn’t the Manchester United we were expecting to see'.

"At those moments there, the best teams punish the weak. They put their foot on their throat and say, “Stay there”, and that’s what we didn’t do. We let them off the hook."

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Article continues below

Click here to read article