Manager Peter Schmeichel has criticized Manchester United’s decision to sign Benjamin Sesco and let Rasmus Hojlund go during the summer transfer window. The Red Devils secured Sesco’s services from RB Leipzig in August in a deal worth £66.26m plus a further £7.36m. Despite a poor start to his career at Old Trafford, the Slovenian has found the back of the net in each of his last two games, including his second goal in a crucial win over Sunderland before the international break.
Meanwhile, Hojlund left United on a season-long loan move to Napoli in September. The Italian giants are obligated to sign Hojlund if they secure a spot in next season’s Champions League. He hit the ground running with Napoli, scoring four goals in the first six games.
United legend Schmeichel questioned the logic behind letting Hojlund go and bringing in Sesco, blaming the club’s creative players for Hojlund’s lack of service.
“Signing Benjamin Sesko was a bit strange for me because we have Rasmus Højlund who hasn’t had a job for two years,” he said on the BBC podcast Sucked in the Morning.
“You just look at him playing at Napoli with Kevin De Bruyne and Scott McTominay – he’s scoring goals. I’ve been saying this consistently for two and a half years – Rasmus Heylund will be a 25-goal-a-year striker at Manchester United, but he needs his services.”
“We let him go based on the statistics that he hardly scored last season, and we bring in Sesco as well as bring in Matheus Cunha and Brian Mbuemo, who will provide a first-class service to Hodjlund.
“We don’t have the number six we need and we also have the goalkeeper position and we end up spending over £70 million on Sesco.”
Schmeichel went on to claim that United had more pressing issues that needed attention initially, such as resolving the goalkeeping situation.
“This season alone we have conceded nine goals due to goalkeeping mistakes,” he continued. “When I was playing, when Edwin van der Sar was playing, when David de Gea was playing, the idea was to win 10 points in a season, and we didn’t award points.
“Why did they bring in people they didn’t need?The person in charge of recruitment is from Leipzig (also Sesco’s old club) and he has to make a mark.
“When I was playing, the manager (Sir Alex Ferguson) was in charge. He would say, ‘Get that guy in, let that guy go’. Now, decisions are being made by different people with different objectives. How do you create a stable environment to have a football team that can play every game and win?”
