'I coached Erling Haaland and Benjamin Sesko - I know when the Man Utd star will explode'

Rene Aufhauser, a football coach who played a pivotal role in nurturing Erling Haaland and Benjamin Sesko, has made a striking prediction that Manchester United's striker will eventually rival the brilliance of Manchester City's scoring sensation. Aufhauser, who moulded Haaland and Sesko into two of Europe's most exciting attacking talents at Red Bull Salzburg, was pressed to compare the pair ahead of this weekend's Manchester Derby.

He boldly declared that Sesko, who joined the Red Devils from RB Leipzig this summer, possesses the ability to reach Haaland's extraordinary standards. Despite the 22-year-old featuring from the start in just one match under Ruben Amorim, the catastrophic Carabao Cup second-round defeat to Grimsby Town, Aufhauser maintains an unwavering belief that the United striker will fulfil his enormous potential, having witnessed both Haaland and Sesko during their formative years.

Speaking to

Words from Rene Aufhauser, the former Austria international who coached Erling Haaland and Benjamin Sesko at Red Bull Salzburg 👀 pic.twitter.com/qv6rNgLfFK

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 11, 2025

, he revealed: "Erling Haaland, I will rate him 10 out of 10. I think Erling is [an] outstanding striker and Benji, I think at the moment maybe he's a nine, nine-and-a-half out of 10. And he has potential."

"He will develop in the next one and two years, I'm sure. Erling reached his mark after his transfer from Dortmund to Man City and we will see. I am quite sure Benji will reach this mark after one or two years. But, of course, Erling is the top. He has 10 out of 10 from me."

The comparison between Sesko and Haaland is not a new one. The rising United star has even shared that many of his teammates believe he outshines the Norwegian, who has scored an impressive 88 goals and provided 17 assists in his 100 Premier League appearances for City.

In a previous interview, Sesko stated: "Such comparisons motivate me and give me energy. They do not represent pressure. I will listen and learn, so I can be even better than he is.

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"My team-mates at the club tell me that Haaland and I are very similar, especially in terms of speed. Most of them even tell me that I'm better than him!"

However, Sesko retracted these comments when his move to United was finalised. This was perhaps wise, as he has yet to make a significant impact in any of his three substitute appearances for United in the Premier League.

During his time with RB Salzburg, FC Liefering and RB Leipzig, Sesko has scored 100 goals and provided 26 assists in 228 career games. He also boasts 16 goals in 43 caps for Slovenia, although he failed to score in his country's recent 2-2 draw with Sweden and 3-0 loss to Switzerland during the international break.

Despite this, he still received support from international team-mate Andraz Sporar, who urged patience. He told reporters: "What does he bring to United? Everything. He has speed, power, intelligence, good football IQ.

"I believe he can be a complete striker in the next two or three years. But he's still young. He will help Manchester United a lot, they just need to be patient. I believe he'll score the goals and every year he will be better and better."