Benjamin Sesko names former Manchester United striker as footballing role model

Benjamin Sesko has revealed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the player he studied most intently while refining his own game, crediting hours of YouTube clips of the Swede for helping shape the fearless approach that has already yielded ten goals in 28 appearances since his £73.7 million summer move from RB Leipzig.

Speaking to former United forward Danny Webber in a recent interview, the 22-year-old Slovenia international explained how Ibrahimovic’s highlight reels became his classroom. “That’s where it started with Ibrahimovic,” Sesko said. “I was tall, obviously not as tall as him before, and I saw him doing some crazy things. Like unbelievable. The freedom that he has. The things that he was doing! Taking shots from that far. The self-belief of ‘I will get it!’ and this kind of goes with his presence. Obviously I don’t have his character! I started to watch him a lot because he was just unbelievable. Then I tried to copy some things and that’s how I came to love Ibrahimovic so much.”

The admission offers a window into the mindset of a striker who has been asked to learn on the job at Old Trafford. Despite arriving as the eventual successor to Rasmus Hojlund, Sesko has been deployed predominantly as an impact substitute by Ruben Amorim and Michael Carrick, a role that has not prevented him from showcasing explosive cameos that have energised supporters.

Ibrahimovic’s own United tenure, though brief, remains fondly remembered. Arriving on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in 2016, the veteran struck 29 goals and laid on ten assists in 53 matches, collecting the Europa League trophy under Jose Mourinho during the 2016-17 campaign. While Sesko is at the opposite end of his career arc, the parallels are tempting: both possess imposing frames, swaggering self-confidence and a taste for the spectacular.

For a fan base craving a new hero to rise from the bench and alter the narrative of a match, Sesko’s early returns are encouraging. Old Trafford has always rewarded bravery, and the Slovenian’s willingness to attempt the audacious—learned, he says, from hours glued to Ibrahimovic’s back-catalogue—has already turned doubters into believers. If the student can approach the master’s peak levels, United’s record investment could yet prove a bargain.