Sesko and De Ligt Boost Manchester United Before Season Kick-Off

Manchester United’s final week of preparation for the new Premier League season has been lifted by the sight of Benjamin Sesko and Matthijs de Ligt back in full training.

Just hours before the campaign gets under way, both players joined the main group at Carrington, delivering exactly the kind of late positive jolt the coaching staff wanted.

For De Ligt, this was more than just another session. It was a landmark.

The Dutch defender took part in full training for the first time since undergoing back surgery in May, an operation required after the injury he suffered last November. That setback cost him the second half of last season and a place at the World Cup finals, a brutal double blow for a player expected to anchor club and country.

His comeback has been slow and tightly managed. De Ligt had only been able to manage the first 15 minutes of a training session in Dublin last week. On Tuesday, he stayed with the group. Completed the work. Ticked off a major step.

Sesko’s return carries its own significance.

The forward missed all of United’s pre-season matches while recovering from a lower leg injury, but there is growing optimism at the club that he could make the squad for the Premier League opener against Hull City next Saturday. Internally, that possibility is no longer viewed as ambitious. It is realistic.

Sesko has spent much of the summer working individually on the grass, sharpening fitness away from the cameras. Those extra sessions showed on Tuesday morning: he looked bright, mobile, and free of the problem that ruled him out of United’s final three games of last season.

One key figure was missing.

Mason Mount sat out the session after taking a stamp on his foot in the 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain in Stockholm. The midfielder was left with a bruise from that challenge and has now missed the final friendlies under Michael Carrick, against Leeds United and Milan.

Club sources, cited by British outlet “The Sun”, insist the decision is purely precautionary, with no suggestion of a serious issue. With the season about to start, United are clearly unwilling to gamble on a minor knock becoming something more complicated.

While the medical room grows quieter, the recruitment department remains busy.

United still plan to complete new signings before the summer window closes and are targeting at least two additions. The priority is clear: a left-back and a high-level defensive midfielder.

Lewis Hall has emerged as the preferred option at left-back, with the hierarchy seeing him as the right profile to strengthen that flank. In midfield, the club want a prominent, ball-winning presence to sit alongside or compete with the new arrivals Youri Tielemans and Andre Santos.

Fitness boosts on the training pitch, transfer moves still in motion off it. With Hull City looming and expectations rising, United’s season is already gathering speed.