Euro 2024: England v Slovenia – Benjamin Sesko will be threat to Three Lions

The hopes of a nation may be on his shoulders, but in his fledgling career he has had no problem with pressure.

Last season, he scored 14 goals in 31 matches as he became a fans’ favourite in his first season at Leipzig, after a move from Red Bull Salzburg.

His form saw a number of top European clubs, including the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal, register their interest before he signed a new deal in June to silence the speculation.

Miran Zore, a Slovenian journalist from Nogomania.com, said: “He left Slovenia very young at 16, when he transferred from Domzale to Salzburg. His talent was already there.

“We kind of expected his success but no one knew he was so special, except his agent, Elvis Basanovic, who tried to convince people about his potential. He used to send messages to scouts and directors, saying, ‘this is the next goal machine’.

“When he was struggling in Salzburg at the start, people were asking his agent, ‘where’s this goal machine.’ Now, everyone is laughing about it.”

World-class players are not really that common in Slovenia, so that is why there have been big expectations.

Former Slovenian international and national team director, Miran Pavlin, said: “He’s very modest, coming from a small town and knows how to deal with all the things.

“He became a big star since a young age, but has stayed a normal guy and I’m sure he’ll stay like that in the future, too.”

Pavlin, a former Porto and Freiburg midfielder, played at two big tournaments for Slovenia – Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup – and knows the expectations on Sesko’s shoulders.

“[Pressure] is good for him,” he added. “Even if he has to deal with it as a youngster. We at the federation try to take the pressure away.

“People expect him to score every game, but that’s not possible in football. In the first two games, he worked for the team and was very good. We’ll be happy if he scores against England.”