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Welcome back to The High Ground—your football newsletter that lands smoother than a cross switch in the Stretford End. We've got a club in the rebuilding process, a marquee striker on the way, and five big questions that’ll define whether this summer’s moves are genius or just noise.
Let’s break it down.
Šeško’s Arrival and United’s Five Burning Questions
Manchester United’s £207m summer is built on one idea: score more, concede less, and finally stop feeling like the Premier League’s most expensive work-in-progress.
United’s 2024/25 season was brutal. Fifteenth in the league. Just 44 goals. Worst finishing numbers in England. No Europe for the first time in over a decade.
Now? A new manager in Rúben Amorim, a new tactical vision, and one headline signing: Benjamin Šeško.
The 22-year-old Slovenian is meant to be the antidote to United’s chronic wastefulness — and, if everything clicks, the start of something far bigger.
The Missing Piece
Last season, United underperformed their non-penalty xG by –11.5, the lowest in the league. Strikers misfired, creators misfired, everyone misfired.
Šeško? He’s the exact opposite. At Leipzig, he averaged 0.82 goals per 90, third only to Harry Kane and Serhou Guirassy in the Bundesliga. Thirteen of his fourteen goals came from inside the box. He’s direct, clinical, and thrives on vertical service — exactly what Amorim’s system promises.
Yes, his xG overperformance dipped from +6.3 to +2.7 year-on-year, but that’s still elite. The bigger risk? United actually finding him often enough.
No Europe, No Excuses
With no European football, United’s calendar is suddenly… human. More recovery days, more tactical drilling, fewer injuries. That could be decisive — their most-used centre-back pairing only started together seven times last year.
It’s a double-edged sword, though. The absence of midweek glamour means every league slip-up will feel magnified. There’s nowhere to hide.
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The Supporting Cast
Šeško can’t do it alone. That’s why Amorim also brought in Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.
Last season, both posted more than twice the non-penalty goal involvements of Alejandro Garnacho, who was United’s main attacking spark. Cunha brings close control and link play; Mbeumo adds movement, creativity, and set-piece threat. If they gel, United’s attack instantly becomes harder to read — and harder to stop.
Five Big Questions That Will Define United’s Season
Can Šeško handle the leap?
He’s going from Bundesliga space to Premier League traffic. Early service patterns will tell the story.Is the midfield finally fixed?
Creativity up top is nice, but without control in the middle, it’s chaos all over again.Will the defence stay healthy?
Continuity at centre-back could be worth ten points.Can Amorim’s style stick in England?
Sporting CP dominance doesn’t guarantee Premier League success.How long before the pressure builds?
No Europe means more training time… and more scrutiny.
Why It Might Work
Profile fit: Šeško is a vertical-press striker with elite movement — tailor-made for Amorim’s patterns.
Fixture advantage: One game a week for most of the season.
Spending with a plan: For once, United’s £207m outlay feels cohesive rather than desperate.
High Ground takeaway: Benjamin Šeško is more than a shiny new No.9 — he’s a litmus test for whether United’s recruitment finally matches their vision. If the supply line clicks and Amorim stabilises the midfield, they could be this season’s dark horse.
If not? We’ll be back here in May talking about another “rebuild” before this one ever really started.
