FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Friendly - Manchester United v Fiorentina - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - August 9, 2025 New Manchester United player Benjamin Sesko applauds fans before the match Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers/File Photo
MANCHESTER (Reuters) -Newly-signed Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko is ready to play but it is too early to say if he will start when the club kick off their Premier League campaign against Arsenal on Sunday, United manager Ruben Amorim said.
Slovenia's Sesko joined United from RB Leipzig last weekend for a transfer fee of 76.5 million euros ($89 million) with 8.5 million in bonuses. United have spent around 200 million pounds this summer after finishing 15th last season.
"We didn’t have a lot of time but he is ready, physically he is ready, that is a big component in our league. Then, he's really smart... he is ready to play, we will see if he is going to start," Amorim told reporters on Friday.
Amorim said United, who last season had their worst finish in the English top-flight since 1973-74, will go into the 2025-26 campaign aiming for a return to European soccer.
"We cannot change everything in four weeks, but we are better. We're training harder and are more prepared to cope with the demands of the game," he said.
"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."
GYOKERES 'IN A DIFFERENT LEAGUE'
Sunday's match will pit Amorim against one of the most successful signings in his coaching career, with former Sporting forward Viktor Gyokeres joining Arsenal in the summer.
Sweden's Gyokeres, who joined the Lisbon-based club in 2023 under Amorim, was the top scorer in the Primeira Liga for two seasons in a row, helping Sporting win back-to-back titles.
"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," Amorim said.
The manager said defenders Lisandro Martinez and Noussair Mazraoui were out for the weekend but forward Joshua Zirkzee and goalkeeper Andre Onana had recovered and would be available 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 added.
($1 = 0.8558 euros)
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
