Benjamin Šeško has been told he needs to be more demanding of his Manchester United teammates if he is going to make good on his potential at the club following a big-money summer transfer.
United will pay up to £73.7 million ($97.3 million) for Šeško if the Slovenian hits all add-ons agreed with selling club RB Leipzig in August, putting significant pressure on him to deliver, especially after Rasmus Højlund arrived for a similar fee and has been let go after just two years.
The 22-year-old had to wait six weeks for his first goal in United colours but has now scored twice in his last three Premier League starts. It’s a promising early return for a young player in a brand-new country, but ex-United striker Dimitar Berbatov has called on Šeško to show a little bit of arrogance and swagger when it comes to asking for service, backing himself to put up big numbers.
“Be confident in yourself. Be arrogant in a way that you demand the ball from your team-mates when you make the run,” the retired cult hero said during his appearance on Rio Ferdinand Presents.
Berbatov was older and far more established when he arrived at Old Trafford in the late summer of 2008. But he knows what it’s like to carry a big fee and be expected to score freely, having become United’s record signing for a fee of £30.75 million—that amount wasn’t surpassed for almost six years, until Juan Mata’s £37.1 million switch from Chelsea in January 2014.
“When you make a good run, if the ball 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. Not every time but try to see me and believe in what I can do with that run,’” Berbatov continued.
“Sometimes be angry. Scream, swear, whatever. [It’s] not personal. Just in a way that ‘I’m here, man. That’s why I’m here. Just give me the ball. Pass to me. I will try to score for you’.
“Halftime, before and after the game, speak. Sometimes I think the players need to be more aggressive and emotional, in a way like, ‘Pass me the damn ball, man!’”
Scoring the ‘Easy Goal’
Berbatov scored 56 times for United in four seasons, which included a Premier League Golden Boot-winning campaign in 2010–11. He went on to state that only Šeško will be judged if the goals don’t come, making it vital that he puts himself into the right positions.
“In the end, it comes down to the goals for the strikers. If they don’t score enough goals, people will be on them,” the Bulgarian said.
“If you’re someone who can stay in the box, then train on that. Be in the box. Training session after training session on the empty goal. Someone to give you the ball, just do tap-ins. Get into the habit of scoring that easy goal as well.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Scream, Swear’—Benjamin Sesko Told How to Find Success at Man Utd.
