There’s been many a Sliding Doors moment in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era at Manchester United.
What if Cristiano Ronaldo had never returned in 2021? What if David Moyes had managed to land his top targets of Cesc Fabregas and Gareth Bale in 2013? What if the United hierarchy had waited before handing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a permanent contract in March 2019?
Perhaps one of the most pertinent questions is what would have happened if the Red Devils had listened to Solskjaer’s advice regarding a then-teenage Molde striker by the name of Erling Haaland.
According to the treble winner, he recommended that the Old Trafford side sign his young compatriot for a fee of just £4m in 2018, albeit with the Norwegian goal machine ultimately heading to Red Bull Salzburg, prior to joining Borussia Dortmund.
Now, of course, on the books at rivals Manchester City, the 25-year-old has plundered 136 goals in just 155 games under Pep Guardiola’s watch, including 12 goals in just nine games at club level alone this season.
The man who sets the bar for all other strikers to try and reach, Haaland is the cream of the crop. Can £74m sensation Benjamin Sesko get close to achieving such feats?
How Sesko compared to Haaland before the Premier League
It’s hard to deny it was a muted start to life in Manchester for Sesko, with the Slovenian giant failing to score in any of his first six outings in all competitions, largely reduced to cameos off the bench, while having been struck down by cramp amid that grim night away at Grimsby.
Having seen his persistence pay off – quite literally – after netting at the third attempt on the rebound away at Brentford, the 22-year-old followed that up with a first Old Trafford goal last time out, after prodding home from Diogo Dalot’s long throw.
Encouragingly, the ex-RB Leipzig man has suggested that there is still “loads to come” with regard to his displays, with it an exciting prospect to consider just how far he can go in a United shirt.
As already stated, that man Haaland will be the benchmark, with the pair notably enjoying a similar route to the Premier League, after traversing Austrian and German football in their formative years.
In the case of Sesko, his own time at Salzburg – following a loan spell at second-tier side FC Liefering – yielded 29 goals and 11 assists in 79 games in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt, with Haaland also reaching 29 goals for the club, albeit from just 27 outings.
Games (starts)
7 (7)
7 (4)
Goals
9
2
Mins per goal
66
193
Big chances missed
6
2
Assists
1
0
Big chances created
3
0
Key passes*
0.6
0.7
Successful dribbles*
0.4
0.1
Total duels won*
58%
38%
As for their respective time in Germany, the new United star scored 39 goals in 87 games for Leipzig, including 27 goals in 64 Bundesliga games.
His Man City counterpart, meanwhile, scored 62 goals in 67 Bundesliga games, having registered 86 goals in just 89 outings for Dortmund across all fronts.
Haaland, as is evident, is a class above, although could United have the tools to try and help Sesko close the gap?
How Man Utd can help Sesko reach Haaland levels
The key to any star striker is quality service, with Haaland notably combining with the great Kevin De Bruyne for 25 goals during their prior stint together at the Etihad, as per Transfermarkt.
The Belgian’s genius is now on show for new club Napoli, having even managed to get Rasmus Hojlund firing for the Serie A side, after assisting both of the Dane’s goals against Sporting CP in the Champions League last week.
While Ruben Amorim may not have De Bruyne to call upon, he certainly has the next best thing, with Bruno Fernandes even hailed as a “creative machine” by the ex-City talisman in the past.
The man who topped the charts for most chances created in the Premier League again last term, as per Fotmob, Fernandes will be the key to unlocking Sesko, having previously failed to strike up a fruitful connection with Hojlund – the pair only combined for seven goals in 87 games together.
There have already been flickers of life, with the Portuguese skipper and Sesko combining for a neat one-two on the edge of the box against Chelsea, while his record of 9.72 progressive passes per 90 as per FBref – ranking in the top 2% of European midfielders – showcases the playmaker’s relentless creative approach.
That said, the 32-year-old can’t do it alone, with Amad Diallo likely to also be a key source of creativity, having finished joint-second at Old Trafford in 2024/25, alongside Alejandro Garnacho, for assists made in all competitions (10).
While Amorim does now boast the talents of Bryan Mbeumo – who assisted Mason Mount at the weekend – last season’s 20-goal Brentford hero is primarily a goalscoring threat, with Amad perhaps more adept creatively.
Described as “unstoppable” in the past by Fernandes, the diminutive Ivorian is a real outlet in that right wing-back berth, with last term seeing him create seven big chances in the league, while averaging 1.9 key passes per game, as per Sofascore.
Deploying the 23-year-old in that wing-back berth on a consistent basis could be a game-changer with regard to getting the best out of Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system, with that more attack-minded approach likely to help the likes of Sesko flourish ahead of him.
With Fernandes taking on the De Bruyne role, Amad could then assume the Phil Foden mantle, with the Englishman ranking second behind the Belgium hero for joint-goal contributions with Haaland (14) at Man City.
Such a duo were crucial in allowing Haaland to hit the ground running under Guardiola, with now the time for United’s own £420k-per-week pairing to help Sesko reach similar heights at the Theatre of Dreams.
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