“Amorim confident in Šeško”: United’s new No. 9 set for Arsenal test

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I watched Ruben Amorim sit down in front of the mics and do something simple. He backed his striker. Benjamin Šeško is “ready to play,” the Manchester United manager said, and while he would not guarantee a start on Sunday, the message before Arsenal’s visit was clear. United’s £60-plus million center-forward is in the building, fit, and part of the plan from day one.

United launch their season at Old Trafford on Sunday, 17 August 2025, at 16:30 WAT. The context is heavy. Last year’s 15th-place finish was their worst since 1973–74. Amorim has promised improvement and a return to European football while warning that four weeks of preseason cannot fix everything. He framed the task as “game by game,” with Arsenal as the first checkpoint.

What Amorim actually said about Šeško

Across club channels and his press conference, Amorim praised Šeško’s profile. Strong in the air. Happy to run channels. Comfortable with his feet. The line that stuck with me was the work ethic bit. He joked that you have to “stop him from working,” not push him to work more, which is exactly the tone you want when bedding in a marquee striker. He added that Šeško is physically ready, though selection will depend on the final training session.

Šeško to United: the essentials

Team news that shapes Sunday

United go into the opener without Lisandro Martínez and Noussair Mazraoui. André Onana and Joshua Zirkzee are available. Across the pitch, Arsenal arrive with their own new No. 9 story, since Viktor Gyökeres will likely spearhead the attack against his old Sporting manager. That sub-plot writes itself.

Availability snapshot

Why Amorim’s confidence matters tactically

I have seen enough of Amorim’s teams to know that a true penalty-box striker changes his geometry. Šeško pins the line. That opens lanes for Bruno Fernandes to receive between midfield and defense, and it gives United’s wide players a near-post target on low crosses. It also restores a simple, old rule. If you win it back and there is space, hit the nine early and run off him. Amorim leaned into exactly that profile in his remarks, backing Šeško’s ability to both stretch games and finish them.

On Arsenal’s side, Gyökeres is familiar with Amorim’s pressing triggers. The edges of this match will be about first balls and second balls around the box, where both strikers can flip pressure into shots quickly. Amorim acknowledged Gyökeres’ quality when asked, and you could hear the respect in the way he credited Sporting’s recruitment team for finding him in the first place.

The bigger picture at United

Amorim did not pretend the rebuild is done. He told reporters United will get better, but there is still work to do in the squad and in how they manage games. That honesty landed because it sat beside certainty about his center-forward. You can tweak systems through August, he seemed to say, as long as you know who finishes moves.

United’s opening run

What to watch on the day

• Whether Šeško starts or comes on at 60. Amorim left the door open to both options after a full week of training. Either way, he expects him to be involved.
• United’s rest defense when they commit numbers forward. Confidence in a new striker often tempts full-backs high. The cover behind them will tell us as much as the finishing.
• Arsenal’s response to a more direct out ball. If United use Šeško to bypass pressure, the visitors’ centre-backs will have to live with under-loaded phases.

My read

This was not fluff. Amorim needed to steady the club’s tone after last season and a heavy summer of change. Backing Šeško publicly does that. It also narrows the focus to something concrete. Score the first goal, keep the crowd with you, and let a 20-goal profile settle into the shirt. Arsenal will test all of it, which is why Sunday feels like a statement day before it is anything else. The manager sounds ready. His striker sounds ready. Now it is about ninety.