Benjamin Sesko claims comparisons made to Erling Haaland do not represent pressure as the Slovenian striker looks to surpass his predecessor. The 19-year-old has been dubbed 'Mini Haaland' after an impressive breakthrough season with the Austrian side and a number of Premier League clubs have been alerted by his displays.
Like Sesko, Manchester City new boy Haaland started out his career with Red Bull Salzburg before taking the Bundesliga by storm with Borussia Dortmund. Sesko looks to be the next talent off the remarkable conveyor belt at the Austrian club, with his agent touching down on Tyneside earlier today.
His representatives shared photographs from Newcastle Airport and then the Quayside, creating a frenzy on social media linking the Magpies with the up and coming star. While it remains unclear whether the Magpies have held talks with his agent, there's plenty to be excited about.
READ MORE: Inside the Red Bull Salzburg talent factory Newcastle United can explore amid Benjamin Sesko links
"Such comparisons motivate me and give me energy," Sesko told reporters in Slovenia when asked about comparisons to Haaland. "They do not represent pressure. I will listen and learn so I can be even better than he is.
"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!"
Salzburg saw off the likes of Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Ajax and Borussia Dortmund to his signature in 2019 - according to reports - paying an estimated €2.5million for his services. At the time of his arrival in Austrian, his Elvis Basanovic, told SPOX: " We had a lot of offers from really big clubs. Had we decided on the money, Benjamin would have moved to England or Italy. But we decided to look at the bigger picture and the Salzburg project.
"The biggest clubs in Europe tried to get him. The interest in him was huge; I have never seen anything like it before.
"Salzburg has given Benjamin a path. Here, he can develop. The people in charge really wanted him, which was important to us. Here he also has a greater chance of playing for the first team sooner or later.
"Benjamin is one of the greatest talents of his age group in Europe. He has an incredible body, is tall, fast, has great jumping ability, is technically gifted and his greatest strength is his finishing."
Despite clearly rating his player highly, the agent refused to be drawn into comparisons with Haaland. He told Zurnal 24: "I would say that Benjamin is just Benjamin Sesko. He is different.
"Many compare him to Haaland, but I think they are different types of players. They are similar in physical construction and speed, but they are different players.
"Benjamin is more of a team player. He is maybe better technically with his skills, but Haaland is a bit more wild with his energy, in a positive sense.
"He (Sesko) remains a humble, hard-working boy. I would not want to put any extra pressure on him. He is still a young boy and there is still a lot ahead of him."
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