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Ruben Amorim's decision to drop Rasmus Hojlund for the clash with Fiorentina and his pre-match remarks about new signing Benjamin Sesko's "characteristics" suggest the Danish striker may not feature in his long-term vision. Sesko was presented to Manchester United fans ahead of their final pre-season encounter.

The Red Devils have secured a new star striker in Sesko, whose £74million switch from RB Leipzig was confirmed on Saturday. Such a significant acquisition already spelled trouble for Hojlund, whose £72m arrival from Atalanta in 2023 has failed to deliver sufficient returns. However, on the very day the 22-year-old Slovenian was unveiled, Amorim revealed his true intentions through his team selection for the pre-season encounter against Fiorentina. Whilst Sesko remained ineligible to participate, the Portuguese manager still chose to sideline Hojlund in favour of Mason Mount, who operated in a false-nine role, whilst making a revealing pre-match statement.

Prior to the fixture against Fiorentina, which concluded in a 1-1 stalemate, Amorim was questioned about Sesko and informed MUTV: "He has the characteristics that we needed. Ben is a player that, with all the information that we have, we need to stop the guy from working - it is not the opposite! That is also important.

"He is really young, he is good in the air, he is good running the channels and he is good on the ball, so I think he has great potential.

"I think he can improve a lot. For sure, he is going to feel at home in our club. He is the right character in this group so we are really, really happy to have him."

Suggesting that Sesko will deliver the 'characteristics that United need' hints that £72m striker Hojlund lacks such qualities, and therefore even before kick-off, the Dane's fate appeared sealed.

Choosing Mount, who has predominantly operated as a midfielder or occasionally wide under Amorim, in a false nine role only strengthened suggestions that Hojlund no longer features in the manager's thinking now that a forward with more suitable attributes has been secured.

Even prior to Sesko's deal being finalised, Hojlund had been touted for a departure from Old Trafford, despite insisting at the start of pre-season that he would remain and battle for his position regardless of which rivals arrived to challenge him.

However, talkSPORT understands that Hojlund has now accepted the reality that his time in Manchester is drawing to a close, and he is increasingly open to a departure. AC Milan represent one club that has expressed interest, alongside Sesko's former team, RB Leipzig, though United will not recover the full amount they invested in Hojlund just two campaigns ago.

It is understood that a transfer fee of approximately £40m would be sufficient to land the 22-year-old's signature, although £30m has also been mentioned. With the recruitment of not only Sesko but also Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo this summer for over a whopping £200m, it appears Amorim's actions on Saturday could indicate a final straw for Hojlund.