"Why they didn’t buy him, I don’t know" - Sam Allardyce claims Manchester United should've signed PL striker instead of Benajamin Sesko

Former Premier League manager Sam Allardyce has questioned the decision of Manchester United to sign Benjamin Sesko over Crystal Palace ace Jean-Philippe Mateta. The Red Devils splashed the cash on the Slovenia international this summer as part of a revamp of their attacking options.

In a chat on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce expressed his surprise at the decision to not make a move for the French striker. He pointed out that the 28-year-old has already tasted success in England and perfectly fits the Premier League striker's mould.

"Do you know who I’d have bought, more than anybody else? Mateta, absolutely. The centre-forward is absolutely brilliant and why they didn’t buy him, I don’t know, especially when the big strikers are coming back [into fashion]. You look at the size of the lad that Newcastle signed [Nick Woltemade], you look at the size of the centre-forwards again. Mateta is winning in a team and winning the FA Cup and getting to Europe and it took him more than a year to do it", he said (via Metro.co.uk).

Manchester United were linked with a host of strikers in the summer before they signed Sesko from RB Leipzig. They held talks over a move for Viktor Gyokeres, who opted to move to Arsenal, and were also reported to have been interested in Mateta and Liam Delap.

Benjamin Sesko has failed to hit the ground running since completing his £73 million transfer, and has scored just one goal in seven appearances for Ruben Amorim's side. Mateta has carried on with his impressive form for the Eagles, scoring four times in ten appearances so far this season.

Manchester United duo return to training ahead of Sunderland clash

Manchester United stars Amad Diallo and Casemiro have returned to training ahead of their side taking on Sunderland in the Premier League. The duo will hope to bolster the Red Devils squad for their clash with the high-flying newly-promoted side ahead of the international break.

Amad was missing for Manchester United as they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Brentford on Saturday, September 27th. The Ivory Coast international had been granted permission to leave the club's camp and travel home due to a death in his family.

Casemiro was absent for the game against Brentford due to suspension, as he had picked up a red card in the Red Devils' win over Chelsea a week earlier. The Brazil international has made his return to training, and is in line to return to the XI when Sunderland come visiting.