Ex-England manager insists Ruben Amorim should have signed 'brilliant' forward instead of Benjamin Sesko

Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko opened his account during the 3-1 loss at Brentford (Image credit: Getty Images)

A former England manager believes Ruben Amorim has come up short in the signing of Benjamin Sesko.

Sesko, 22, boasts only one solitary strike to his Manchester United tally so far and has pulled in criticism for failing to make his mark at Old Trafford thus far.

Whilst some of the words echoed feel a little harsh on the former RB Leipzig man, an ex-Three Lions boss believes Amorim should have instead signed another option who boasts Premier League quality.

Ex-England boss suggests Manchester United should have signed 'brilliant' Premier League forward instead

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim is facing pressure to save his job at Old Trafford (Image credit: Getty Images)

Languishing in 14th place and having won just two Premier League games so far this season, it is safe to say the pressure is mounting on 40-year-old boss Amorim.

With over £200 million spent over the summer on Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Sesko, amongst others, the Red Devils boss will be feeling the heat, and one former England boss believes signing the latter of the three big names was a poor decision.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 14: Benjamin Sesko of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Etihad Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images) — Benjamin Sesko has often cut a frustrated figure up front for Manchester United (Image credit: Getty Images)

"Do you know who I’d have bought, more than anybody else?" began Sam Allardyce speaking via the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast recently. "[Jean-Philippe] Mateta, absolutely.

"The centre-forward is absolutely brilliant and why they didn’t buy him, I don’t know, especially when the big strikers are coming back [into fashion].

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Old Trafford, September 2025 — (Image credit: Getty Images)

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"You look at the size of the lad that Newcastle signed [Nick Woltemade], you look at the size of the centre-forwards again. Mateta is winning in a team and winning the FA Cup and getting to Europe and it took him more than a year to do it.

"There aren’t many centre-forwards as good as he is. Why did nobody go: 'Bang!', Manchester United, because he’s got everything."

Crystal Palace forward Mateta celebrates passionately after a match, showcasing his impressive form following a successful season. — Crystal Palace forward Mateta has been fantastic over the last 18 months (Image credit: 2025 Sebastian Frej/MB Media)

In FourFourTwo's view, it is hard not to disagree with Allardyce, but Sesko is at an entirely different stage of his career and Manchester United knew they were buying for the future, given the Slovenian is only 22.

Perhaps the argument remains that INEOS should have also looked to have brought in Mateta, as well as Sesko, given they were also linked with an older striker, like Ollie Watkins and Danny Welbeck, across the summer.

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Matthew Holt writes freelance for FourFourTwo, amongst others, and boasts previous experience at GOAL and SPORTBible. He now works with us alongside his time at Manchester United and Reach PLC, aiding with online content for the website. Career highs include working at the FA Cup final, as well as scoring at Old Trafford in front of the Stretford End. A long-term sufferer of his beloved Scunthorpe United, he is often seen on the padel court, as well as occasionally as a six-a-side call-up.

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