Beyond Hojlund: Why Manchester United Need Watkins or Sesko's Goalscoring Prowess

It has been two years since Rasmus Hojlund pulled on a Manchester United shirt for the first time. Tried and tested, the Dane has produced 14 Premier League goals, which is simply not enough for the Red Devils’ demanding fan base. Even the introduction of Joshua Zirkzee as competition could not fire up Hojlund, whose performances arguably declined over the last 12 months. Over 70 million was shelled out to Atalanta for the strikers’ services, which is looking like yet another costly mistake at Old Trafford.

Recurring jokes are popular in football, and Manchester United’s failures in the transfer window are one of them. Especially after 2024/25 saw them record their worst season in 50 years, dating back to the last time they were relegated. In light of their 15th-place finish, the Red Devils now prepare to do what they do best: throw even more money at astronomically priced players. Yet this time, they might have picked some more sensible options.

🚨 BREAKING:

Rasmus Hojlund is a DREAM target for RB Leipzig.

Manchester United are showing Leipzig the opportunity to include a player in a deal for Benjamin Sesko.#MUFC [@FabrizioRomano] pic.twitter.com/3igSGMLt3S

— UtdXclusive (@UtdXclusive) July 30, 2025

The Slovenian Sensation

Arsenal, Chelsea, AC Milan, and Barcelona could be mistaken for an extremely tough Champions League group stage draw, but instead, it is a list of the teams that have monitored Benjamin Sesko during his last season at RB Leipzig. The crowd of interest has begun to clear now, with Manchester United emerging as favourites to sign Sesko as their number one priority.

At the age of 21, Sesko has scored 27 goals in 64 Bundesliga appearances, as well as 16 in 41 appearances for Slovenia. Already 4th in his nation's all-time scoring charts, and one goal away from Josip Ilicic. A physically imposing player, Sesko is 6’4” but still has exhilarating pace, lauding him comparisons to Erling Haaland.

🌟Highlights in 2022🌟

🧙 Benjamin Šeško @nzs_si vs. #SWE. ☄🎯🤯#NationsLeague | @RedBullSalzburg | @FCRBS_en pic.twitter.com/vJVgtC1Yfj

— UEFA Nations League DE (@EURO2024DE) December 29, 2022

Due to his height, he is an aerial threat and has an impressive highlight reel of his finishing ability. The Slovenian is set to be the next big thing, and more importantly, for sale! Premier League clubs will be expected to pay £60-70 million for the player, a deal Manchester United are very close to landing.

Villa’s Record Breaker

Aston Villa’s all-time Premier League top scorer, Ollie Watkins, is the other name close to an Old Trafford move. Ruben Amorim was a fan of the 29-year-old’s proven Premier League experience (75 PL goals), mirroring the transfer strategy they had with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha. At Manchester United, Watkins would reunite with Mbeumo, recreating ⅔ of the iconic ‘BMW’ trio from their Brentford days, one of the best front threes to grace the Championship.

Watkins has scored 15+ goals in his last three top-flight campaigns and hit double digits in all five Premier League seasons. The forward is interested in Amorim’s project in Manchester, but Villa will not sell cheaply, something the Red Devils are not happy about as Watkins approaches his 30th birthday.

No arsenal, Chelsea, or Tottenham player scored more goals then Ollie Watkins last season

Yet people don’t rate him because he plays for Aston villa.#avfc pic.twitter.com/BDR1wKTFDt

— Jay (@AVFCJay01) July 26, 2025

Comparing Hojlund, Sesko, and Watkins

Delving into the trio’s 2024/25 season for their respective clubs, Hojlund averaged a goal every 501 minutes, Sesko every 183 minutes, and Watkins every 162 minutes. Not only did Watkins have the fewest minutes per league goal, but he also had the highest expected goals (xG) with 15.3 compared to Sesko’s 10 and Hojlund’s 5.3. Sesko overperformed his xG by three entire goals, but is that down to luck or excellent footballing ability?

Watkins might have the edge over Sesko when it comes to converting in the last year, but RB Leipzig’s star does a lot of work elsewhere to make up for it. The Slovenian has more passes completed (415) than Watkins (307) and Hojlund (256), and 1.93 shot-creating actions per 90 compared to Watkins' 1.84 and Hojlund’s 1.53.

In terms of touches, Sesko also comes out on top with 901 (Hojlund: 515 & Watkins: 695). He also stood out with his 444 carries too (Hojlund: 308 & Watkins: 409). Heading back over to shooting statistics, Manchester United’s two new striking prospects have a strong conversion rate of a goal every 0.38 shots on target for Sesko, 0.39 for Watkins. The Villa striker taking the win for this one, miles ahead of Hojlund's goal per 0.17 shots on target.

£60–70M for a 22-year-old, inexperienced Sesko who could develop into a goal-scoring machine in the future ? (Risk) 👀

OR

£50–60M for a 29-year-old, experienced Watkins who might give his best for a max of 2 more years ? (Safe) 👀 pic.twitter.com/6okdWdTrFs

— cold pics of Manchester United (@utdsnaps) July 28, 2025

There are many things we can learn from this comparison. Firstly, Hojlund is failing in Manchester United’s system; the Dane exhibited his potential in Italy and Austria, and probably will at his next club if the Manchester United curse continues. The Red Devils are not unreasonable for looking at new prospects, with last year's failures a haunting reminder of what can go wrong.

Secondly, Watkins is a foolproof option if you are looking for 10+ Premier League goals for another few seasons straight. But he is nine years older than the other two, and therefore has a shorter ‘shelf life’.

What a strike from RB Leipzig's 21-year-old Benjamin Sesko! 🔥

Jurgen Klopp was also in attendance to witness the stunner 👀 pic.twitter.com/tVi6myKNxy

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 12, 2025

Finally, Sesko is more than just a classic number nine, he does lots off the ball and joins in with link-up play. In addition, he can score goals of all types from all sorts of ranges, with a considerably higher average shot distance (17.5 yards) than the other pair (both around 12 yards). Sesko seems to be the more likely pick to lead Man U’s line next year, as the club finds him to be a long-term option at a similar price.