Watch Cardiff vs Fulham live on Sky Sports Football from 7pm on Friday: Kick-off is at 7.45pm.
Friday 17 April 2020 10:42, UK
Anyone who has a brother or sister will know the feeling of being compared to their sibling.
Imagine, then, both being professional footballers, but your twin brother has already made more than 100 appearances for your club and then sealed a big-money move to Tottenham.
It could lead to jealousy and bitterness among some. For Steven Sessegnon, brother of Ryan, it has only made him want it more.
"Being able to support Ryan on the journey he has had has been brilliant," Sessegnon said, ahead of Fulham's trip to Cardiff on Friday night, which is live on Sky Sports Football. "Looking back on it so far he really did a lot for the club and you can only be thankful for that, and use it as motivation to go on and try and do more.
"I use Ryan's career at Fulham to push me on and try and make me do better."
While Ryan made his debut for Fulham as a 16-year-old in 2016, Steven had to wait a few more years for his break. Scott Parker handed him his first league start against Huddersfield, and he has been in the starting XI for their last three Championship games.
There was a time when he was tipped to have a similar impact to Ryan, but an injury in late 2015 significantly hampered his progress.
"It was for the U16s in America," he explains. "We flew out to Florida and it was my first camp away with England. Then, in my debut against Brazil, about 50 seconds in, I did my MCL in my knee and it took me about eight months to get back in. From there I was playing catch-up.
"But I can't blame it all on that. It just happened the way it did. But I am here now and only thinking about the present. I have got stronger since it happened and things are going well."
He then had to watch from the sidelines as Ryan went from strength to strength, becoming a key component in Fulham's side that were promoted from the Championship in 2018.
But was there ever a hint of jealousy?
"Never," he insists. "Supporting Ryan has probably been my priority over the last few seasons, pushing him on and making sure he is doing everything right.
"It was important for me to see him progress in his career and hopefully hit his prime. I hope there is still more to come from him when he does get to playing again.
"I have learned a lot off him from being around the first team. He did it a few years before me and I've picked up a lot in the conversations we have had. It has made it easier for me."
Steven is actually the older of the two - "by about 25 minutes!" - and they played through the same academy system and in he same school teams until they reached 16.
From there, their paths started to diverge, but now he is keen to make up for lost time.
"It's been steady so far," he says. "I feel like I've had a good start and I've done well defensively, which is something people told me to look at first because I have great belief in myself with the ball.
"It was my aim to be in from the start so I went into pre-season and worked towards that from the first day. I didn't start until the third game but since then it's been good, and I can't complain."
Steven considers himself to be a more technical player than Ryan, with his brother's game being more about athleticism, and he admits his disappointment that his first real error came about from using his feet. It was one of his passes that went astray to allow Lewis Grabban to score his second goal in Nottingham Forest's 2-1 win at Fulham last Saturday.
"I didn't think my first mistake would come from me being sloppy on the ball," he said. "But I've done my best to put it right and hope it doesn't happen again."
Under Parker, however, he knows he has the freedom to progress and express himself. "He opens up the road and gives opportunities to young players like myself that haven't had that for the last couple of years," he continued. "I feel under him that if I hit the ground running I would have the chance to play.
"That first month was a learning curve. Even in the wins there were things we could improve on, and I definitely learned a lot. It is a different game to the youth level I'm used to and it's a big adjustment.
"This has been my dream since I was 10 or 11 and it looked like it could be possible. It is great to get there but there is a long way to go."
Another dream of his would be to play with his twin brother again. But will it ever happen? The question raises a smile.
"We're just going to have to see."
