Rio Ferdinand raises alarm over Benjamin Sesko’s Manchester United role as Gary Neville adds fresh concern

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has admitted he is “concerned” that Benjamin Sesko is yet to show his true ability at Old Trafford – and believes confusion over his role is stopping the club from getting the best out of their £74million striker.

Sesko, signed from RB Leipzig this summer, has endured a frustrating start to life in the Premier League. For the second week in a row, the 21-year-old began on the bench before being introduced in the second half, as United surrendered a lead to draw 1-1 with Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Despite coming on in the 53rd minute to replace Casemiro, Sesko struggled to make an impact before Emile Smith Rowe cancelled out Rodrigo Muniz’s earlier own goal. And for Ferdinand, the issue lies not only with Sesko’s sharpness, but also with how he is being used under Ruben Amorim.

“We’re not seeing who he really is”

Speaking on his Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel, the former England defender questioned what exactly Sesko was being asked to do.

“Get the ball into him,” Ferdinand said. “He isn’t going to be an easy day’s work. Get it into him and make them defend. But we’re playing it around him. Sometimes it’s like really basic, fundamental things.

“That’s my main concern – we’re not getting to see who he is. I’d rather you play it into him and he looks poor so we know what we’ve got, because right now, I don’t know what he is or what he’s doing.”

Ferdinand also called out United’s senior players, arguing they need to do more to help their new team-mate settle:

“You’ve got to help your team-mates find their feet in the team. He’s come into a new league, he needs service and he needs support, and I don’t think he’s getting enough of either.”

United “let Fulham off the hook”

Beyond Sesko’s struggles, Ferdinand was left frustrated by the wider performance. United started brightly and looked in control, but failed to kill off the game.

“We were dominating the life out of Fulham, scaring the life out of them,” he explained. “At those moments, the best teams punish the weak. They put their foot on their throat and keep them down. We didn’t do that – we let them off the hook.”

Even after taking the lead through Muniz’s own goal, Ferdinand admitted he never felt United were in full control:

“We went 1-0 up but we weren’t the team in the ascendancy at that time. Fulham were already back in it. When we don’t take advantage during our good spells, it destabilises us the moment the other team starts getting back into the game.”

The 45-year-old pointed to a lack of confidence carried over from last season as a major issue. “You don’t just get confidence overnight,” he said. “Right now, when the momentum turns, we panic, we lose shape, and that discipline goes. That has to change.”

Neville echoes concerns

Ferdinand’s long-time team-mate Gary Neville shared similar frustrations after the game, warning that Sesko looks well short of fitness and intensity.

“Sesko, at the moment – let’s just say it – he’s nowhere near in terms of fitness or just getting up to speed,” Neville told Sky Sports.

The former right-back believes Amorim must give Sesko a proper run of games to help him adapt:

“He is going to have to get him in against Grimsby in the Carabao Cup and give him 90 minutes. He’ll probably have to play him against Burnley next weekend too, just to get him going. What you can’t do is let a player of that value, that potential, just keep sitting on the bench.”

Neville admitted Amorim faces a dilemma between building his team slowly and accelerating Sesko’s integration, but argued the balance is tipping:

“You can see he needs football. If you keep drip-feeding him minutes, he’ll never get there. The sooner he plays, the sooner we’ll see what he can actually do.”

Patience, but pressure too

Amorim, for his part, has urged patience with Sesko, insisting the young striker simply needs time to adjust to the Premier League. The Portuguese coach praised the Slovenian’s work ethic in training and expressed confidence he will prove his worth over the course of the season.

But with two games gone, no wins, and already dropped points, United’s wait for a spark in attack continues. Sesko was signed to provide just that – and while both Ferdinand and Neville believe the talent is there, they also made clear that the excuses will not last forever.