Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has urged Benjamin Sesko to follow in the footsteps of Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The Dutchman was never shy about telling teammates about when and where to pass the ball to him, even going as far as walking off during a training drill, and Ferdinand believes Sesko needs to do something to get himself more service:

“It’s decision making in the final third that’s going to set him free or it isn’t, and he’s got to try and dictate to a lot of those players either through runs that make it so obvious or physically telling them after a game.”

“They’re the type of conversations he has to have because I know Ruud [van Nistelrooy] was having that. I saw Ruud van Nistelrooy walk off the training field because Ronaldo did too many step overs, and he wasn’t playing it when he wanted it. You’ve got to find it from somewhere to make your team-mates know, and that will be the making of him.”

Sesko has struggled to impose himself

Since arriving from RB Leipzig for an initial £66m back in August, the Slovenian international has not scored or provided an assist.

Sesko’s barren run in a United shirt extended to 6 games after he was substituted against Chelsea at the weekend following Casemiro’s red card.

He is struggling to get touches, let alone goalscoring opportunities, and it’s a familiar story, with his predecessor Rasmus Hojlund having faced similar challenges during his two seasons at Old Trafford.

Man United need to integrate him quickly

We saw some signs against Chelsea that Sesko is building up an understanding with his teammates. His flick-on to Bryan Mbeumo led to Blues’ keeper Robert Sanchez being sent off.

However, as Ferdinand points out, the 22-year-old needs to show more personality and greater confidence to demand the ball when he makes a run.

Read more about the Manchester United First Team Squad for 2025/26 here