Benjamin Sesko had a largely successful debut season at Manchester United following his move from RB Leipzig last summer.

The Slovenian striker netted 12 times for the Reds, including several important goals in the Premier League to help secure Champions League status for this campaign.

But an injury ended his campaign with a couple of games to go, and Sesko appears to still be recovering from that issue ahead of the 2026/27 season.

United's No. 30 did not play in any of the club's pre-season outings, despite initial reports indicating that he would return during that period.

It is still claimed that Sesko will be available when United face Hull City in their season-opener against Hull City on the weekend; however, it is now unlikely he will start in the first few games of the season.

Sesko's goal tally last season was respectable considering the circumstances. He did not start every week, had a couple of injuries, and Manchester United played a limited number of games due to the lack of European football at Old Trafford.

This time around, even with his issues through the summer, Sesko will be aiming to develop his game further and score more goals for Michael Carrick's side.

Former United striker Louis Saha has set the 23-year-old a lofty goal target this season of 30 goals across all competitions.

Speaking to Betarades.gr, the ex-French centre-forward said: “I think that he [Sesko] has apparently started working during the pre-season, which is a good sign after his injury. You have to remember that last season was only his first season in the Premier League and it’s very demanding.

"I think he will cope with that now. He can definitely improve his movement. I think there is a need for communication with the players that he has at his disposal to build a really good understanding."

Saha pointed towards the fact that Sesko's teammates could also be doing more to help the Slovenian find the back of the net. 

He said: “His teammates need to understand the types of passes that he likes, and this is the type of movement that he does. It’s important to create those links with the likes of Mbeumo, with the likes of Amad and Cunha and Bruno Fernandes.

"United need the communication to be spot on because he needs to score 30 goals. But he also needs to play. He needs to show that he's technical enough to score his own goals as well.” 

“Sesko would have to score 25 goals in the Premier League and the rest of the team will have to fight and work very hard to do it and I still need to see the first ten games to see if the pre-season has done the magic they need.”

If Sesko were to end the season with between 25 to 30 goals, it would be a great campaign for him and above many fans' expectations.

Manchester United have had only one player reach the 30-goal mark in a single season since Sir Alex Ferguson retired: Marcus Rashford in the 2022/23 campaign.

In reality, Carrick will not mind if Sesko does not hit that figure as long as the attacking line shares out the contributions.

The likes of Amad, Rashford, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo will also be searching to get on the scoresheet regularly.

United could certainly do with one forward to have a standout campaign like Saha wants from Sesko, but they can also succeed if all of those players contribute throughout the season.