Benjamin Sesko's Injury Woes Impact Manchester United's Season
Benjamin Sesko’s stop-start Manchester United career has hit another painful snag, with the striker sidelined by a shin injury and ruled out of Slovenia’s upcoming fixtures.
The 23-year-old will stay in Manchester for tests and rehabilitation instead of joining his national team for their two clashes with Scotland and further games against North Macedonia and Switzerland. He missed United’s 1-1 draw at Fulham on Sunday with the same issue.
United confirmed he is undergoing examinations on Monday to determine the full extent of the problem, with the timeframe for his return still unclear.
Big fee, small minutes
Sesko arrived at Old Trafford in August 2025 for £74million, billed as a long-term answer through the middle. The reality so far has been far less straightforward.
Michael Carrick has consistently favoured Matheus Cunha as his starting centre-forward, leaving Sesko to scrap for minutes from the bench. Across all competitions this season, he has managed two goals in six appearances, most of them as an impact substitute rather than a focal point.
For a striker trying to settle after a major move, the international break should have been a release valve. A chance to start, to score, to feel like the main man again. Instead, he will be stuck at Carrington, working with the medical staff and waiting for answers.
Worrying noises from Slovenia
Reports in Slovenia have cranked up the concern. GiveMeSport note that Sesko will remain in England for rehabilitation, while Slovenian outlet Ekipa, via Sport Witness, paint a more troubling picture.
Their assessment is stark: the injury “doesn’t look good because of history and past patterns.” They highlight the worrying possibility that the issue could be chronic, with conditions that cause prolonged bone pain even in the absence of a clear fracture.
That line will alarm both club and country. Sesko has dealt with shin problems before, and some in the Slovenian press fear this latest flare-up could dog him for months rather than weeks.
An MRI scan in London is expected to offer a clearer diagnosis and, crucially, a realistic return date.
For Slovenia, the timing is brutal. Sesko has become central to their attacking identity, scoring 16 goals in 45 appearances and growing into the role of standard-bearer for his generation. Losing that presence for a crucial run of games is a significant blow.
Debate at Old Trafford
Back in Manchester, the injury lands right in the middle of an ongoing argument about how Carrick has handled his striker options.
After United’s 2-2 draw with Everton, Paul Scholes questioned the decision to keep Sesko largely on the fringes. Scholes argued the Slovenian could be a “focal point” for the attack and admitted it was “very difficult to watch a Manchester United team without a centre-forward.”
That view taps into a wider frustration among sections of the fanbase: why spend £74m on a centre-forward and then build the attack around someone else?
Michael Owen, though, sees it differently. He regards Sesko, at this stage, as a “great impact player” rather than the finished article, suggesting the forward is not yet the “real deal” capable of driving a Premier League title challenge on his own.
The injury freezes that debate in place. No run of starts, no chance to prove either pundit right or wrong. Just more waiting.
Carrick’s selection headache grows
Sesko is not alone in the treatment room. Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo have also withdrawn from international duty after being assessed by United’s medical staff following the draw at Fulham.
For Carrick, the break now becomes less about tactical refinement and more about damage limitation. His forward line, already under scrutiny, is suddenly thinner. His big-money striker is stuck in rehab. His options out wide and in midfield are nursing knocks.
Sesko, meanwhile, faces the most important scan of his United career so far. If the news is good, he can target a return and a fresh push to justify that hefty transfer fee.
If it confirms the fears emerging from Slovenia, the question becomes harsher: how long can United wait for their £74m striker to truly arrive?
