"There’s a chance that won’t happen" - Sir Alex Ferguson's former assistant slams Manchester United's move for Benjamin Sesko; suggests better option

Sir Alex Ferguson's former assistant manager, Rene Meulensteen has slammed Manchester United for their reported pursuit of Benjamin Sesko. He believes the RB Leipzig star is similar to Rasmus Hojlund, and warned the club that they were repeating the mistake.

Speaking to Poker Strategy, Meulensteen claimed that Manchester United needed a striker who could deliver straightaway. He believes that Sesko will need time to adapt and has the potential, but isn't the ideal pick for Ruben Amorim's squad. He said:

"Manchester United's bid for Benjamin Sesko is basically exactly what they did with Rasmus Hojlund. If he scores in the first three or four games and hits the ground running then he could be the answer for the club, but there's a chance that won't happen.

"If you look at Hojlund, he joined Atalanta and performed well alongside the rest of the team and then joined United. The same can be said for Sesko – the Bundesliga is a very different league to the Premier League, so he'll need to adapt. Has Sesko got potential? 100%, but he's still young and developing and he isn't the finished article."

Meulensteen went on to name Ollie Watkins as the ideal signing for Manchester United. He believes that the Aston Villa star will do better as he has Premier League experience under his belt. He said:

"I look at someone like Ollie Watkins who may be available. He's a hard-working player with similar features to Sesko, except that he already has Premier League experience which is priceless. I think Sesko would probably cost more than Watkins too.

"Why doesn't the club bring in Watkins and allow the coaches to work closely with Hojlund to allow him to develop? It's a waste of an investment otherwise – they paid close to £80m for him and they're in danger of selling him for less than half of that unless he develops."

Manchester United were reportedly interested in Watkins, but were unwilling to pay over £45 million. Reports earlier this month suggested the Aston Villa star was keen on the move, but the Red Devils had shifted focus to Sesko.

Manchester United battling Newcastle United for Benjamin Sesko

Benjamin Sesko prefers Manchester United over Newcastle United, according to The Athletic. Newcastle United had a bid of €82.5 million with another €2.5 million in add-ons accepted by RB Leipzig after rejecting two previous bids from the Magpies.

The Athletic have claimed that while Leipzig haven't reached an agreement with the Red Devils, the striker has agreed terms with them.