Ever since he moved to Manchester United’s loud neighbours at the beginning of the previous season, Erling Haaland has taken the Premier League by storm.

The number nine has scored 56 goals and provided 13 assists in 61 Premier League games, to give you an idea of how significant he has been.

Engelhard Haaland 2023–2024 Statistics
If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had persuaded United’s management to purchase the attacker for under £20 million, however, things may have turned out quite differently.

Fortunately, there is a Haaland clone available right now, so United may be able to sign their own Haaland.

Manchester United may sign Haaland.
The Standard has reported that Man United is interested in signing centre forward Benjamin Sesko.

The Slovenian may be headed to the Premier League in the summer, even though he only moved to RB Leipzig in the summer.

rb-leipzig, Benjamin Sesko,
It is believed that the striker’s pay demands ‘will be lower’ than those of other striker choices, and that he has a £43 million (£42.7 million) release clause in his contract that is scheduled to trigger at the conclusion of the season.

But with Arsenal and Chelsea vying for Sesko’s signing, it could be challenging to get the 20-year-old since the London team doesn’t have a proper centre forward.

How Sesko and Hojlund compare
As was previously noted, Sesko and Haaland are frequently compared, but where do these similarities originate?

First of all, the two attackers have a lot in common stylistically in terms of height, athleticism, and finishing. They have also had comparable success stories, having established themselves at RB Salzburg before joining the Bundesliga.

Benjamin-Sesko
In addition, the 20-year-old has dominated Germany, similar to Haaland, with an astounding nine goals and two assists in just 13 starts. Football scout Jacek Kulig has dubbed him the “Slovenian Erling Haaland.”

Although Rasmus Hojlund, United’s current striker, has scored seven goals, this is a superior league record. But how do the young players really compare?

Hojlund vs. Sesko 23/24 League Stats

Statistics (per match)

Sesko

Hojlund

Objectives

0.68

0.35

xG

0.49

0.34

Helps

0.15

0.10

Snapshots

2.81

1.55

completed passes

13.36

13.05

aims/shots

0.24

0.23

Shot-producing manoeuvres

2.20

2.50

Makes contact (att pen)

5.24

4.10

Through FBref

Based on their numbers from their respective leagues this season, you can see that the two attackers are really rather comparable in terms of their style of play and what they can offer.

First of all, it’s evident that the two are the epitome of goal scorers, since their whole play is centred around placing the ball in the goal.


Both Sesko and Hojlund are comparatively clinical finishers; their xG is lower than their production and their goals/shot ratios rank among the highest in their respective leagues; yet, it is evident that the Leipzig star gets more opportunities to get a shot off.

Both players’ lack of originality or impact in build-up play demonstrates how dependent they are on service to function. Hojlund in particular has struggled with this this season for the struggling United squad since he frequently goes games without getting a sniff in front of goal.

Manchester United, Scott McTominay Premier League, Erik Ten Hag, and Rasmus Hojlund
Kulig termed Sesko a “future icon,” but given his similarities to Hojlund, Erik ten Hag—or whomever manages the team next season—would have two attackers who pose the same danger.

In light of this, it could be a better idea to sign a player that plays a little differently than Hojlund, much like Sesko does well right now when paired with Lois Openda.