Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has offered a staunch defence of the club's summer signing Benjamin Sesko, drawing a surprising comparison to former striker Louis Saha.
Ferdinand's Podcast Defence of Sesko
The debate unfolded on Ferdinand's YouTube podcast ahead of United's clash with Wolves. While co-host Joel Beya suggested the Slovenian forward had not 'hit the ground running the way he was supposed to', Ferdinand strongly disagreed.
He was supported by Stephen Howson, who pointed out that Sesko missed a full pre-season and that the team looks better when he plays, allowing attackers like Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo to operate behind him.
'I couldn't agree with Steve more,' Ferdinand stated. 'Sesko [offers more] than [just] goals. Yes, the strikers will be judged on their goals, but internally sometimes there are things that they bring to the table that you go, 'You know what, that is huge'.'
The Louis Saha Comparison
Ferdinand then revealed which former teammate Sesko's style reminds him of. 'You know who was like that? Louis Saha. He was never going to win the Golden Boot at Manchester United,' he said.
'But in terms of his value to the team, he was a joke some of the stuff that he would do to enable others to play better. He would get us up the pitch at times, he would hold the ball for three or four seconds at times to give us a breather.'
The former defender emphasised that Saha's overall contribution was often more valuable than just goals, a trait he sees in the new signing. 'Forget goals with him. His all-round game… I was sitting there sometimes going, 'Oh my God, I’m so happy he’s on our team'. I think with Sesko, listen, we still want to see the goals. But I’ve seen a few parts of his game that I go, 'Oh the other players are liking that'.'
Ferdinand added that United have lacked a striker with Sesko's hold-up ability for a long time, calling it a 'simple little thing but effective'.
Contrasting Views on United's Striker Situation
The positive assessment contrasts with recent criticism from another former Red Devils forward, Teddy Sheringham. Speaking to Oddspedia last month, Sheringham claimed Sesko was too 'inexperienced' for the burden of leading United's line.
'Manchester United are asking too much of Benjamin Sesko,' Sheringham argued. 'It’s a massive job to lead the line for them, the expectations are enormous. The club already tried that approach with Rasmus Hojlund and it didn’t work out.'
Sheringham believed the club made an error in not pursuing Harry Kane, stating the England captain would have guaranteed 20-25 goals a season.
Since his £74 million move from RB Leipzig in August, the 22-year-old Sesko has contributed two goals and one assist in 14 Premier League appearances. Louis Saha, whom Ferdinand referenced, scored 28 goals and provided 10 assists in 86 top-flight matches for United between 2004 and 2008.
