Why Man Utd are paying £74m for Sesko: The stats that show the striker will be a star

Manchester United have fought off competition from Newcastle United to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig in a deal worth up to £73.7million.

The agreement between the two sides includes a guaranteed payment of £66.3million, while the other £7.4million is from potential add-ons.

Christopher Vivell, United’s director of recruitment, was the driving force behind the pursuit but Mike Sansoni, the new head of data, will have also played a key role.

We’ve taken a look at his statistics to see why United have forked out a huge transfer fee on the 22-year-old.

Goal record

Sesko made the move to RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023, arriving from sister club Red Bull Salzburg in a deal worth around £20million.

He netted 14 goals in 31 league appearances in his debut season and scored at a rate of 0.82 goals per 90, the third best in the Bundesliga behind Harry Kane and Serhou Guirassy (both 1.14).

The striker also got two goals in the Champions League and two goals in the DFB-Pokal, taking his overall record in 2023/24 to 18 goals in 42 appearances in all competitions.

While RB Leipzig endured a difficult 2024/25 season, he still scored 21 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions — 13 in the Bundesliga, four in the Champions League and four in the DFB-Pokal.

Only Kane, Guirassy, Lois Openda, Ermedin Demirovic, Patrik Schick and Tim Kleindienst have netted more Bundesliga goals than Sesko (27) in the last two seasons.

That is despite the fact that he ranks 16th in the Bundesliga for expected goals, 14th on shots and 22nd on touches in the opposition box.

Overall, the 22-year-old has scored 39 goals in 87 appearances in all competitions for the German club, which works out at a goal every 136.2 minutes.

For context, Alexander Isak has averaged a goal every 121.09 minutes over the last two seasons. Ollie Watkins has been averaging a goal every 179.5 minutes, while new Liverpool signing Hugo Ekitike has been averaging a goal every 170.1 minutes.

Big-game record

Having scored just six goals in 10 Premier League games against their ‘big six’ rivals in 2024/25, United needed a striker who is more than just a flat-track bully.

Sesko has scored three goals in four Bundesliga games against Bayern Munich, averaging a goal against Die Roten every 83.6 minutes.

He has two goals and an assist in four Bundesliga games against Borussia Dortmund and also provided an assist as RB Leipzig beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 to end their 43-game unbeaten run.

In the Champions League in 2024/25, the Slovenia international scored away against Atletico Madrid and netted a brace against Juventus.

The ball from Openda, the Šeško finish 👌#UCL pic.twitter.com/fBH4KOIJPX

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 4, 2024

Range of goals

Sesko has showcased an impressive variety in his finishing game as his 27 goals in the Bundesliga are split between his right foot (15), left foot (four) and head (eight).

His eight-headed goals in the Bundesliga came from 28 shots with his head, giving him a conversion rate of 29%. That conversion rate puts him above the likes of Isak (24%), Kane (21%) and Erling Haaland (12%).

Kane, Guirassy and Kleindienst are also the only players to have scored more headed goals in the Bundesliga over the last two seasons.

He has netted five counter-attack goals across the last two Bundesliga seasons and that puts him third in that regard, just behind former RB Leipzig teammate Lois Openda and former Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush.

The striker is also renowned for his incredible ball-striking ability and that helped him score four goals from outside the box in the Bundesliga, including a brilliant trivela against Bayern Munich last season.

#Sesko = Mr. Außenrist? 👀#RBLFCB @Bundesliga_DE pic.twitter.com/XkhPEMqXdJ

— RB Leipzig (@RBLeipzig) May 7, 2025

His potential

United put Sesko and Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins at the top of their list before ultimately prioritising a move for the former.

Instead of going for an immediate fix with a Premier League-proven striker, they are investing in Sesko’s potential as the 22-year-old still needs to refine his game.

But the Slovenia international is widely considered one of the most exciting young forwards in Europe and the statistics back that up.

Since moving to RB Leipzig in 2023, he has scored more goals in all competitions than any other Under-23 player based in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

His return of 39 goals puts him one above Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham and five clear of Florian Wirtz, who has just completed a £116million move to Liverpool.

If the 22-year-old continues on an upward trajectory at Old Trafford, he can develop into one of the best strikers in the world.

Sesko could also be United’s centre forward for the next decade, while Watkins may only have a few years left at the top level.

Upgrade

United are set to bring in a new striker for the third summer in a row, having previously landed Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.

Hojlund arrived from Atalanta in the summer of 2022 in a deal worth an initial £64million and another £8million in potential add-ons.

Zirkzee followed a year later after United agreed to pay a £36.5million fee to Bologna but both strikers have struggled to produce their best form in a United shirt.

Hojlund has netted 26 goals in 95 appearances in all competitions in the last two seasons, while Zirkzee scored seven goals in 49 appearances in all competitions in 2024/25.

The duo contributed just seven goals to United’s total of 44 in the Premier League last season — the club’s lowest tally of the post-1992 era.

Only Everton and the three relegated teams – Southampton, Ipswich Town and Leicester City – scored less Premier League goals than United in 2024/25.

Alongside Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, Sesko represents another big upgrade on United’s attacking options from last season.

All-round game

Sesko is more than just a goalscorer and his two seasons at RB Leipzig have helped him develop into more of an all-rounder.

The Slovenia international registered just two assists in his debut season but was more involved in the build-up play last season and set up six goals for his teammates.

According to the Bundesliga’s official website, he also posted the 26th-fastest top speed in the competition last season, clocking in at 35.69 km/h.

That would make him one of the fastest strikers in the Premier League and his speed has prompted comparisons with former Red Bull Salzburg striker Erling Haaland.

“Such comparisons motivate me and give me energy,” Sesko previously said of being likened to Haaland. “They do not represent pressure.

“I will listen and learn so I can be even better than he is. My teammates at the club tell me that Haaland and I are very similar, especially in terms of speed. Most of them even tell me that I’m better than him!”

Sesko stands at 6ft 4in and has the physical tools to adjust to life in the Premier League. He won 2.6 aerial duels per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga in 2024/25 and had the best success rate of strikers involved in at least 60 of them.

The striker also has impressive dribbling ability for a player of his size and averaged 1.5 successful take-ons per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga last season.

While no player is guaranteed to be a hit at United these days, Sesko has the talent and the potential to justify his price tag.

READ MORE: The key contract details of every Man Utd first-team player: Expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…