Benjamin Sesco has endured a slow start at Manchester United but former frontman Dimitar Berbatov believes he needs to be meaner if he wants to succeed
Dimitar Berbatov has told Benjamin Sesco to be mean if he wants to score goals regularly for Manchester United, insisting he needs to be more demanding of the service he receives.
The Slovenian was the club’s biggest-ever summer signing, joining from RB Leipzig for £74m, but his life at Old Trafford got off to a rocky start. He’s playing on a team that struggled in the first few weeks of the season, but that hasn’t helped his cause.
However, the 22-year-old Sesco has only scored two goals in 10 games so far, and there are concerns about his goal return. His first goal came in the defeat against Brentford, and he scored the following week against Sunderland.
But more is expected of the frontman, hailed as one of the best young strikers in Europe, and Berbatov believes he must be more aggressive when demanding the ball.
The Bulgarian, who won the Golden Boot award during his time at Manchester, insists there is no need to be “polite, confidantes and friends” to team-mates if you can’t win the ball in a scoring position.
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In response to a question on the podcast “Rio Ferdinand Presents”, Berbatov had some advice for the Slovenian: “Be confident in yourself. When you make a run, have the arrogance to demand the ball from your teammates. If you don’t come up to me, say or express it in a way that your teammates understand: ‘I’m here. I’m making runs for you. Please respect my runs. It takes time, but look at me and believe in what you can do with those runs.’
“Be angry sometimes. Scream, curse at him, whatever. (It’s) nothing personal. I mean, hey, that’s why I’m here. Just give me the ball. Pass to me. I’ll try to score for you.”
“Be vocal at halftime and before and after the game. Sometimes I think the players need to be more aggressive and emotional. Like, ‘Pass me the ball, dude!’
United trusted Sesco to lead the team after seeing several former strikers struggle to live up to expectations. Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee both found it difficult to make an impact last season, putting United on the market.
Coach Ruben Amorim brought Sesco into the squad, often leaving him on the bench and bringing him on in the second half, and is confident the striker will bring good results.
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