Manchester United icon Nicky Butt has warned fans that history could be in danger of repeating itself with the eventual fate of one of Ruben Amorim's summer signings this season.
The Manchester club were highly active in the transfer market over the summer, bringing in a raft of new recruits as Amorim sought to shape his team in his own image after arriving mid-season last term.
The Portuguese manager will have been pleased to have a summer to prepare for the new season and a number of new additions to the squad after their woeful 15th-placed finish at the end of last season.
Those drafted in to the squad - to the tune of a staggering £214million summer spend - include former Premier League stars Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha from Brentford and Wolves respectively, Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens, RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, and Paraguayan star Diego Leon.
But Amorim and Co are some way off hitting the ground running, having won only one of their three Premier League games since the campaign started, and suffered an unedifying early Carabao Cup knockout to League Two strugglers Grimsby Town.
And Butt was keen to stress that for one signing, things might not necessarily improve immediately.
Discussing Amorim's attacking ranks, Butt told BetMGM, via the Sun: 'I know (Matheus) Cunha has done really well over the last couple of seasons but I would really like an experienced striker.
'I hope I'm wrong but I really hope they aren't making the same mistakes with (Benjamin) Sesko as they did with Rasmus (Hojlund).
'A young player coming in with no Premier League experience, it just feels like history repeating itself.'
Hojlund himself departed on loan to Serie A champions Napoli at the start of the month, just two season after arriving at Old Trafford for an eye-watering £72million.
The Denmark international struggled to assert himself at the club under both former manager Erik ten Hag and Amorim, scoring just 26 goals in 95 appearances.
Sesko was purchased in a £73.7m deal from his former Bundesliga side, and is yet to score in open play since arriving in England.
The 22-year-old did find the back of the net against Grimsby, but did so in eyebrow-raising fashion as the 10th penalty taker during the decisive shoot-out.
Butt instead suggested that Man United should have looked closer to home for the ideal striker to supercharge their front line.
'Honestly, for what it would have cost, I would have gone and brought in someone like Ollie Watkins, someone to help and pull the young strikers out of a bad patch,' Butt continued.
'When young players are just coming into the club, when the onus is on them to score goals, if they're having a few bad games, they have to have the safety net of being pulled out of the firing line.
'Ollie Watkins, or someone like that, would be who I would have been looking to bring in.'
Watkins, who has three years left on his contract at Aston Villa, is also without goals this season, but netted an impressive 16 Premier League goals last term.
Socblnotuy
0
You don't mean it
No sense found in the nonsense
Lovebug2
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You don't mean it
Mounting someone?
sowbdeikru
0
Chill. Bro will score goals. He create a lot of space for himself with his movement. The coach needs to start him regularly and bench Mount…
true talk
Socblnotuy
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Rasmus is better than Sesko, tbh Man U should have signed Mateta and kept Rasmus they should have used Sesko money to sign a midfielder poor recruitment every season
Manchester United should send him out of the first team
Rhema10
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Yeah you said something that really makes sense and Metata with hos experience could have helped the young striker but Zirkzee should be sold out as soon as possible.
Zirkzee is even worse. I dont know why they left him as backup. so pathetic. two inexperienced strikers. they can't deliver 10 goals in a season
Socblnotuy
1
Rasmus is better than Sesko, tbh Man U should have signed Mateta and kept Rasmus they should have used Sesko money to sign a midfielder poor recruitment every season
Yeah you said something that really makes sense and Metata with hos experience could have helped the young striker but Zirkzee should be sold out as soon as possible.
Socblnotuy
0
please hold ur bad thought is too early to start talking nonsense a good Stricker can score in any league look at Erling Haaland does he have premier League experience but he is doing well
Haaland joined a team that was already buildup for the next 4 seasons with top rated players but Manchester United is still looking for a playing style and searching for players who fits the culture of the club so you don't put too much Load on a young striker who is still in his development as a professional.
Socblnotuy
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These Ferguson boys destabilize the club by questioning current players who are contracted to the club far too often. Why won't they just disappear into the sunset and accept their time as players is gone. They are ghosts that only haunt the club. They are xenophobic to the core and don't like anything non English coming to United.
The issue is new fans don't grasp Manchester United's culture and nuances of football. The point being made is Sesko's too inexperienced to shoulder the load for a big club like Manchester United. Consider Benzema's example - he joined Real Madrid from Lyon as a superstar, but it took him two seasons to truly find his footing and scoring form. Manchester United can't afford a long adjustment period; they need a striker who can deliver 20-25 goals per season from day one.
Socblnotuy
1
You don't mean it
Socblnotuy
0
You legends are a disgrace!! Encourage the signings to make up for the team instead!
Why should someone encourage something that is not positive? Butt's assessment is spot on, and Manchester United will still struggle in front of goal. Do you even know that United have the most shots on goal more than any other team in the Premier League but are only able to score one direct goal?
Davichi
1
The fact is that, he's right. United should have gotten Watkins alongside Sesko, especially with their plans to get Hojlund out.
Jtikol10
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You legends are a disgrace!! Encourage the signings to make up for the team instead!
Utdw3Stand
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Hojlund was starved of supply...and when he gets a chance he fumbled... cant blame Hojlund entirely,,, Sesko was signed a couple weeks ago but he is no Messi or CR7, R9 etc it will take sometime for the new recruits to gel together with a different setup... Patience... #GGMU
Really. Starved he was given a fair chance, if anything they stopped feeding him because evetime he was passed the ball he was dispossessed or over powered by opposition defense. EPL Defenders had him in their back pockets. Hojlund is one of those kind players that won't make it in the EPL
hubdimrs
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Hojlund was starved of supply...and when he gets a chance he fumbled... cant blame Hojlund entirely,,, Sesko was signed a couple weeks ago but he is no Messi or CR7, R9 etc it will take sometime for the new recruits to gel together with a different setup... Patience... #GGMU
jutbdenrtz
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WARREN and dJ
hosmnptz
1
Chill. Bro will score goals. He create a lot of space for himself with his movement. The coach needs to start him regularly and bench Mount…
rafaeljoel
0
They've started thinking every striker is R9
Niccdortu
3
These Ferguson boys destabilize the club by questioning current players who are contracted to the club far too often. Why won't they just disappear into the sunset and accept their time as players is gone. They are ghosts that only haunt the club. They are xenophobic to the core and don't like anything non English coming to United.
Tocilostyz
0
Rasmus is better than Sesko, tbh Man U should have signed Mateta and kept Rasmus they should have used Sesko money to sign a midfielder poor recruitment every season
Shut up you man! What is Mateta even? F*** off man
bamadiloty
2
You are 100% right
wenadknrtu
6
please hold ur bad thought is too early to start talking nonsense a good Stricker can score in any league look at Erling Haaland does he have premier League experience but he is doing well
Rhema10
5
Rasmus is better than Sesko, tbh Man U should have signed Mateta and kept Rasmus they should have used Sesko money to sign a midfielder poor recruitment every season