'History repeating itself!' - Ex-Man Utd star believes club made a mistake signing Benjamin Sesko over Ollie Watkins amid 'bad patch' warning

Despite being linked with Watkins earlier this summer, United forked out £74m ($100m) to sign Sesko from RB Leipzig last weekend. However, former Red Devils star Nicky Butt believes the 29-year-old would have been the better option, both for their attack and his team-mates, and United are at risk of "repeating history" after their underwhelming Rasmus Hojlund signing.

When asked if he liked United's transfer business this summer, he told BetMGM: "I do and I don’t. 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. 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. 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."

United signed Hojlund from Atalanta two years ago when he was 20 but so far he has not justified his big £72m ($97m) transfer. Sesko is the same age as Hojlund, and while he was less goal shy at Leipzig than the Dane was at the Italian team, the Red Devils have spent an awful lot of money on a striker who is under pressure to justify his hefty sum and solve the club's goalscoring issues. Watkins may have been the safer bet but as he nears 30, the England international does not have the sell-on value Sesko possesses. 

Slovenia international Sesko could make his United debut in their Premier League opener on Sunday at home to Arsenal, whereas Watkins is likely to lead Villa's attack against Newcastle United a day earlier.