Dimitar Berbatov believes Manchester United’s summer signing Benjamin Sesko will come good at Old Trafford — but only if he shows more conviction on the pitch. Man United icon sees pace, strength, hold-up play and a goalscoring pedigree that justified the £74 million ($98m) fee from RB Leipzig.
Sesko’s start has been mixed: two goals in nine Premier League appearances under Ruben Amorim, with flashes that have earned patience from the stands. Berbatov’s message is clear. Confidence changes everything, and it starts with what you say to team-mates and how you demand the ball.
Man United’s improving form offers a platform. With a trip to Nottingham Forest ahead, the next stretch will show where the 22-year-old sits in Amorim’s pecking order—and whether he can turn presence into production.
Dimitar Berbatov on Benjamin Sesko
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Berbatov urged the striker to be vocal and direct: “Know your team-mates. Speak with them. If you see that it’s not working out quick enough or soon enough as you like, speak with them. On the pitch, because he’s a big, strong lad, he can run, he can cover the space, he can hold the ball. The goals that I saw him score in his previous club were unbelievable. Left, right, shooting. So I think he has the quality. I am cautiously optimistic. I don’t want to jump up and down because [Rasmus] Hojlund was the same, right? Everybody was optimistic, but it didn’t quite work for him.”
The former United forward wants Benjamin Sesko to communicate in the moment: “If the pass doesn’t come for you, say it or express it in a way that your teammates will understand that, ‘I am here. I’m making the run for you. Respect my run… try to see me and believe in what I can do with that run.’”
Manchester United striker confidence and arrogance advice
For Berbatov, a touch of edge is part of the job: “Be confident in yourself. Be arrogant in a way that you demand the ball from your team-mates when you make the run.” He even challenged Sesko to show more fire: “Sometimes be angry. Scream, swear at him, whatever. [It’s] not personal… Just give me the ball. Pass to me. I will try to score for you.”
The theme is standards. “Be angry with your team-mates… Demand more from each other. Whoever is in the position of being the captain, be the one to demand more from yourself and from them.”
Benjamin Sesko role under Ruben Amorim
The competition for minutes is real. After exiling Rasmus Højlund, Joshua Zirkzee has faded, and Amorim has at times preferred Matheus Cunha as a false nine. That puts the onus on Sesko to change the conversation with presence and goals. His link play and pressing have impressed, but at Manchester United, strikers are judged by the scoreboard.
Berbatov’s practical tip focuses on habit-building in the box: “In the end, it comes down to the goals for the strikers. If they don’t score enough goals, people will be on them… If you’re someone who can stay in the box, then train on that… just do tap-ins. Get into the habit of scoring that easy goal as well.”
Rasmus Højlund comparison and the £74 million fee
Two league goals in nine appearances are a modest return against the price tag, and Berbatov warned against assuming a straight-line surge—citing early optimism around Højlund that never fully landed. Still, he sees the tools and a pathway. United’s upturn should create cleaner chances. Convert them, and selection debates fade fast.
Next up is Nottingham Forest, with United aiming for a fourth successive league win for the first time since February 2024. For Sesko, it is a timely audition: arrive aggressively, demand the ball and own the penalty area. Do that, and Berbatov’s cautious optimism will feel a lot less cautious.
