“He is ready”: Ruben Amorim talks about Benjamin Sesko’s availability vs Arsenal | OneFootball

Ruben Amorim says Benjamin Sesko has impressed him since joining Manchester United from RB Leipzig.

Amorim was speaking to the media at the pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s Premier League opener against Arsenal at Old Trafford.

The first question was about injuries. Amorim said there are just two players missing from the squad.

“No, Licha and Mazraoui are out, they cannot play this game. Josh [Zirkzee] and Andre [Onana] are recovering and are options. We’ll see,” he said.

Sesko Debut?

He was then asked about new signing Benjamin Sesko.

“I can see Ben being a striker at this club for many years. That is why we paid a lot of money. He didn’t have a lot of time [training], but physically he is ready. That is a big component in our league. He’s ready to play and we’ll see if he starts.”

Amorim also noted that the Slovenian asks a lot of questions and said “I really like that, especially when it’s smart questions. He listens and he wants to perform, so that is very good.” He said the 22 year old is “obsessed” with football and stays around at Old Trafford beyond training, something that clearly impressed him.

Speaking of his role as the main striker, Amorim said “first of all, we have more than three [Cunha, Mbeumo, Sesko], so they are fighting for their places, but I’m really happy.

“I think he has great potential. In everything he does, he can play different types of football, he will feel the Premier League is very aggressive, he is going to learn and he has great potential.”

Amorim was then asked about Rasmus Hojlund’s future but would not be drawn, simply saying that the Dane is “one more option. We will see. We are focused on this game and Rasmus is still our player.”

Season expectations

The subject then changed to expectations for the new season.

“It’s hard to know,” the boss replied. “We cannot change everything in four weeks, but we are better. We are training harder and are more prepared to cope with the demands of the game. I’m really more confident, that is clear. Step by step, we will be a better team.

“We want to return to Europe. We have to be realistic with our fans. We will have to fight a lot because there are more teams with time together than us. We have to focus game by game. We want to win against Arsenal.

“I learned a lot last season. I don’t need to focus on the future. That doesn’t matter and I don’t care. I need to live day by day. Everything that is noise to our team, I take out of the picture, so I just prepare my team against Arsenal.”

Amorim was then asked his thoughts on his old protégé Viktor Gyokeres, who has joined Sunday’s opponents.

“That is a question for Mikel [Arteta],” he said. “Viktor is in a different league. Sporting have good scouting because they live from the players they can buy and sell to survive. I think he’s a very good player. It’s not a surprise to see him with a big club in England.”

Midfield plans

In response to a question about whether he expects to add a midfielder to the squad, Amorim insisted he was very happy with the players already at the club. He was then asked if there were any squad members who could be adapted to play in central midfield.

“Maybe Mason Mount is a player who can play in that position if we want something different;” he replied. “But we have players to cope and win games in the Premier League.”

Bruno Fernandes’ role was the next topic. The head coach was asked if he felt playing the skipper in central midfield would mean sacrificing his attacking ability.

“Even last season, when he played as a midfielder, he was the player who had more shots near the box.” Amorim replied. “So I think it’s a good thing for Bruno to stay in one position during training.

“I want Bruno near the ball, which is really important for our team. Now we have players with different characteristics who can cope with that, so we will try to manage that game by game, the players for the best positions.”

United’s match against the Gunners kicks off on Sunday at 4.30pm UK time (GMT+1).

Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images

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