Manchester United Have Prioritised The Forward Line

So with Sesko currently completing his medical, unless something drastic happens he’ll be Manchester United’s third signing. He’s supposedly going to be unveiled on Saturday, probably being brought out before our game against Fiorentina.

Looking at our signings so far this summer it’s clear the club have prioritised the lack of goals from last season and it’s an issue the club has actually struggled to fix for several years. As highlighted by our signings of Zirkzee last summer, Højlund and Mount the year before, and Antony and a Weghorst loan the year before that, and Ronaldo and Sancho the year before that.

This is the fifth year we have made signings to attempt to add more goals to a team that has struggled with scoring for more than half a decade at this point. However, this year there seems to be a different tactic, we have placed a big focus on signing players with a track record of scoring in the EPL, and for teams that aren’t dominant sides. Players who should transition well into scoring for us.

Matheus Cunha I think will prove to be a fan favourite, his tenacity, fight and passion will surely go down well with the fans. As well as hopefully bringing more of it out in some of our existing players. Similarly to the effect Licha had when he first arrived, when players like Dalot and Shaw started showing more aggression and celebrated good defensive work. If the three signings I think he’ll probably score the least but I think he will be a key facilitator for those around him. He likes to drop deep to get on the ball, then turn and make things happen. I also think he’ll score some spectacular goals as well as clutch ones in tight games.

Bryan Mbeumo I think will be the signing that gets fans on the edge of their seat the most. He plays every minute of every game at high speed. He loves to run in behind and stretch play, and because of that I think he’ll probably be out top scorer this year. With him getting on the end of a lot of attacks, particularly when we counter press. He is someone who is always alive to the chance of a goal.

Benjamin Sesko of the three is the one I have the least expectations on this coming season, but who I feel has the highest potential long term. He has all the tools to be the best striker in the world, tall, strong, great in the air, but still lightning quick and technically excellent on the ball. He can be the complete striker, a target man, an off the shoulder runner, and a creator. Will he bring it all together and realise that potential is the real question.

I’m hopeful that with a manager who has a track record of developing and improving young players, and with more support around him to take some of the pressure off initially he will be in the right environment to reach that potential. I’m expecting him to score somewhere between 10-15 league goals this season, but wouldn’t be surprised if he got less than 10. He might find the transition to the EPL difficult, or he might take to it like a duck to water. With Sesko though it’s less about how many he scores this season and more about the player he becomes over the next three years. If he reaches his potential then by the time we are ready to seriously challenge for the title we will have possibly the best striker in the world at that time.

Finally the rumours on Baleba. Maybe my eternal optimism is rearing here, but I actually think we will get the deal done for him this summer. The fact that the news was broken by David Ornstein, who clearly has a great source at the club, suggests that the information leaking to the press is part of the clubs strategy to sign him. Ornstein doesn’t say anything about the club unless they are actually actively trying to get the deal done.

The club seems to have prioritised the forward line, and now that is done they are turning to the next biggest area of need. Whether by accident or design waiting until this stage of the window might actually work in our favour, with the clubs that would likely rival us for his signature seemingly already spent the majority of their summer budget or not actually looking to sign a midfielder this year. It seems like if we go for him this summer we will have a pretty free run at signing him.

Yes the deal will be expensive, but it’d be just as expensive next year if not more if he performs well for both club and country, with more competition for his signature, along with a compressed transfer window due to the world cup. For me Baleba is the perfect midfield signing, and if the club can get it over the line, and I have a sneaky suspicion they will, then this will have been a phenomenal transfer window.

Written by Shappy August 08 2025 13:47:38