Manchester United Denies Sesko Slovenia Call-Up Due to Injury

Benjamin Sesko’s stop-start Manchester United career has hit another snag, and this one stretches beyond Old Trafford.

United have refused to release the 23-year-old striker for Slovenia’s upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures, with the club insisting his ongoing shin problem needs to be managed in Manchester rather than on international duty.

Club over country

Sesko ended last season in pain, a shin issue cutting short his campaign. He then sat out the entire pre-season, only re-emerging as a substitute in the opening Premier League game of the 2026-27 season against Hull City.

Since then, the pattern has been familiar: brief flashes, then another setback.

He has two goals in six appearances for United this term, but his last outing – a subdued display in the EFL Cup against Brighton & Hove Albion – was followed by a complete absence from the squad in Sunday’s Premier League win over Fulham.

Despite that, he had been named in Bostjan Cesar’s Slovenia squad for a demanding Nations League schedule: two meetings with Scotland, plus clashes with North Macedonia and Switzerland. Those plans have now been ripped up.

United have decided Sesko will not travel to Slovenia, not even for an assessment by the national team’s medical staff, a stance that underlines both the club’s concern over the injury and the growing tension around his international availability.

Strain with Slovenia

Sesko’s repeated absences from national duty since joining United have not gone unnoticed back home. His lack of involvement has reportedly strained relations between the player’s club and his country, and this latest decision will not ease that friction.

United confirmed the withdrawal in a statement.

“Manchester United can confirm that Benjamin Sesko has withdrawn from the Slovenia squad ahead of the upcoming three-week international break,” the club announced.

“The striker had been called up by head coach Bostjan Cesar for two games against Scotland, plus meetings with North Macedonia and Switzerland, but he will now no longer join the squad.

“Sesko last appeared in our Carabao Cup tie with Brighton & Hove Albion, but was absent from the matchday squad for our most recent encounter with Fulham. Benjamin will undergo tests this week before defining his individual recovery plan.”

No ambiguity there. United want full control over his rehabilitation.

Carrick cautious, Spurs in sight

Michael Carrick cut a careful figure when pressed on Sesko’s status after the Fulham game.

“We’re not sure with Ben yet. He felt a bit of pain after the game, we’re assessing him,” the United head coach told reporters.

“At the moment, he definitely wasn’t ready for today, so I haven’t really got any more news to give you at this point. We’ll have to see what that brings.”

Behind the scenes, United are hopeful – but not certain – that Sesko will be fit to face Tottenham Hotspur on October 10. That date now looms as a key marker in his season. Miss it, and questions over his durability and role will only grow louder.

A career still waiting to ignite

Sesko arrived from RB Leipzig last summer with the profile of a long-term centre-forward solution: tall, quick, technically sharp, and with a reputation for ruthless finishing in Germany and Austria.

The numbers at United tell a story of promise without full payoff. Fourteen goals and one assist in 38 appearances for the club is respectable, and his Premier League return – 12 goals and one assist in 34 games – shows he can hurt defences when fit and in rhythm.

Consistency has been the missing piece.

There have been glimpses of the striker United thought they were signing: clever movement, powerful running, clinical moments inside the box. But every time momentum builds, something stalls it – form, selection, or, as now, injury.

This shin problem has become the latest obstacle. United are betting that keeping him in Manchester, under their medical and performance staff, will finally break the cycle.

Slovenia, staring at a Nations League campaign without their leading forward, may see it very differently.

For Sesko, caught between club demands and national expectations, the question hangs in the air: when will he finally get the uninterrupted run that decides whether he becomes a star at Old Trafford or just another nearly story?