Manchester United boss Amorim tells ‘control freak’ Sesko to leave the criticism alone

Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko must learn to accept the criticism leveled at him during his difficult start at Old Trafford, says Premier League club manager Ruben Amorim.

Sesko, who was signed from RB Leipzig in August for a transfer fee of 76.5 million euros ($89.21 million) with a further 8.5 million in bonuses, has scored just two goals in 11 appearances for United.

Asked about the Slovenian’s return, Amorim told reporters: “I am relaxed – he is not relaxed…

“If you don’t perform every week, you will hear a lot of things from club legends, from experts, from the media, and sometimes they are right,” the Portuguese manager added, ahead of a league match against Tottenham Hotspur.

«Having the ability to understand that that’s normal and still maintain your self-confidence is very difficult for a young child, especially a young child who is a control freak, wants to be in control, and he’s not going to have everything under control. He’s going to be our striker for the long term. But he’s going to have these problems and bumps along the way, and that’s normal in football,» he added.

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After last week’s 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest, former United player and pundit Gary Neville said Sesko looked «clumsy» on the ball, comparing him unfavorably to the club’s other recent signings.

“Of course no one likes to hear that, but he (Sesko) had a little bit of trouble with it, and that’s a fact. So let’s embrace that,” Amorim continued.

«It’s not personal (Neville’s comments). That’s what I try to explain to the players. That it’s not personal. It’s an opinion that’s going to change in three weeks. My advice to Ben is that you get used to it (to it). And then it becomes natural… That’s part of the process, and we’re going to help him, and we’re going to protect Ben because he works very hard, and we want to succeed.»

United, eighth in the standings, face sixth-placed Tottenham later on Saturday.

Published on November 8, 2025