Benjamin Sesko, the Manchester United and Slovenia forward, has revealed that he started his football journey in two different positions before moving into attack.
The striker scored seven goals and provided one assist in 23 appearances across all competitions for Manchester United during the 2025-26 season.
The 22-year-old joined United from RB Leipzig last summer during Ruben Amorim’s time in charge, with the club paying an initial fee of £66.3m.
His first season at Old Trafford has been a mixed bag so far, as he continues to adapt to the physical and tactical demands of the Premier League.
Since Michael Carrick took over as interim head coach, Sesko has not started any of United’s first five Premier League games under his leadership.
Benjamin Sesko reveals why he started as a goalkeeper before switching positions
Although Sesko has not been in the starting line-up for Manchester United recently, he has still found ways to make an impact under Carrick at Old Trafford.
The Slovenian star grabbed a stoppage-time winner against Fulham earlier this month and followed it up with another late equaliser against West Ham just last week.
Despite his talent for finding the scoresheet, the 22-year-old spoke on United’s official podcast and revealed that he began his career as a goalkeeper, following in his father’s footsteps.
“He [my dad] was a goalkeeper,” he said, according to Manchester United’s official website.
“First, he was a player and then he switched to basketball a little bit. And then he switched again to football.
“He was a goalkeeper and I started, as well, as a goalkeeper when I was a really young age.
“But then I said, one game, I remember I looked at my father in the middle of the game and said: ‘Father, this is so boring. I don’t have anything to do in the goal.’
“It was hard for me to see people, like my teammates, playing up there and I couldn’t score a goal.”
Benjamin Sesko took a different route before settling as a forward
While most people now associate Sesko with his current role up front, the former RB Leipzig man actually spent time playing as a centre-back earlier in his career.
He added: “I like doing something.
“There were also times, when I was a goalkeeper, I took the ball and went, like, through [the] whole pitch and then scored a goal!
“So, it has been a nice journey. And then I started as a centre-back and then I went up to striker.
“I think I was 12 or 13 then, something like this. That was the age that I just became a striker and I stayed there.”
Ahead of their upcoming match against Everton, the Red Devils are currently in fourth place in the Premier League table, trailing third-place Aston Villa by five points.
Carrick’s side will visit Goodison Park on February 23rd for an 8pm UK kick-off.
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