Wayne Rooney believes Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens could be key to helping striker Benjamin Sesko find his shooting boots.
Sesko arrived from RB Leipzig this summer for a reported fee of £73.7million, but has managed just two goals and one assist in 11 Premier League appearances since.
He signed as a replacement for the similarly goal-shy Rasmus Hojlund, who joined United from Atalanta for a similar fee before being offloaded on loan to Napoli in the summer.
Lammens also arrived in the summer, joining from Royal Antwerp, and has been inspired since making his debut in a 2-0 win over Sunderland, quickly usurping Altay Bayindir in the pecking order.
For Rooney, the Dutchman could be the key to unlocking Sesko’s strengths, with his impressive distribution allowing the Slovenian to make the most of his imposing physical presence.
The Slovenian, who stands 6ft5in tall, has been sidelined with a knee injury picked up against Tottenham, meaning his slow start at United could be set to drag on.
But Rooney is preaching patience with the 22-year-old, insisting that the best is yet to come.
“I think he (Sesko) has gone through a bit of a tough time in terms of goalscoring,” Rooney admitted, speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate.
“But I think what he brings - and I agree that the keeper (Senne Lammens) has come in and done well, and he’s been more direct into Sesko - but what we’re seeing now is he can compete.
“He does hold the ball up better than (Rasmus) Hojlund does, and we’re seeing as the ball’s gone up to him, and Mbeumo making runs in behind Cunha, making runs in behind Mason Mount at times, when he’s playing, making runs in behind him.
“So because they know he’ll compete and he’ll win flick-ons and he’ll do that. So I think he has been better than what people may be suggesting, but I still think he needs to just get the ball, lay it off, get in the box, and hope the chances are created for him.”
After pulling out of international duty, Sesko now faces a race against time to be passed fit for United’s next Premier League outing, which will see them host Everton after the break.
