Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has offered a staunch defence of the club's summer signing, Benjamin Sesko, drawing a fascinating comparison to his former Old Trafford teammate, Louis Saha.
Ferdinand's Saha comparison for under-fire Sesko
The Slovenian striker, who joined United from RB Leipzig for a fee of £70million in the summer of 2025, has found the net just twice so far this campaign. This relatively slow start in front of goal has attracted criticism from some quarters.
However, Ferdinand believes the focus on Sesko's goal tally is misguided. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former England defender highlighted the 22-year-old's broader contributions, insisting his value to the team extends far beyond scoring.
"Sesko [offers more] than [just] goals," Ferdinand stated. "Yes, the strikers will be judged on their goals, but internally sometimes there are things that they bring to the table that you go, ‘You know what, that is huge’."
The 'joke' that was Louis Saha
Ferdinand then pointed to the example of Louis Saha, who was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson and played alongside Ferdinand in trophy-winning sides. The French forward was never a prolific Golden Boot contender but was revered for his all-round play.
"You know who was like that? Louis Saha," Ferdinand continued. "He was never going to win the Golden Boot at Manchester United. But in terms of his value to the team, he was a joke some of the stuff that he would do to enable others to play better."
He elaborated on the specific, often underrated skills Saha possessed: "He would get us up the pitch at times, he would hold the ball for three or four seconds at times to give us a breather. Forget goals with him. His all-round game… I was sitting there sometimes going, ‘Oh my God, I’m so happy he’s on our team’."
Sesko's role in United's attack
Ferdinand sees clear parallels with Sesko, who has been leading the line in an attack also featuring Bryan Mbuemo and Matheus Cunha. While acknowledging that goals remain the ultimate metric for a striker, Ferdinand insists he has seen promising signs.
"I think with Sesko, listen, we still want to see the goals," he conceded. "But I’ve seen a few parts of his game that I go, ‘Oh the other players are liking that’. I can see it. Manchester United haven’t had a striker who can just hold it up or flick it on for ages. Like just a simple little thing but effective."
The striker has recently returned from injury, making his first start since November in the loss at Aston Villa on December 30th. His impact in that match was limited, as he was substituted in the 73rd minute after managing just one shot and 16 touches.
Despite this, manager Ruben Amorim remains confident in his marquee signing's development. "He is returning to competition really fast," Amorim said. "He is going to improve a lot. The idea was 70 to 75 minutes. He stopped for a while and we are trying to help the players."
Ferdinand's analysis provides a crucial counter-narrative to the early judgement of Sesko's United career, suggesting that his true worth, much like Saha's before him, may be measured in facets of the game that don't always make the headlines.
