Sesko Injury Deepens United’s Early-Season Woes

Manchester United arrived at Craven Cottage on Sunday with one glaring omission. No Benjamin Sesko.

The Slovenian striker, who started the chaotic 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton in midweek, was nowhere to be seen in the matchday squad against Fulham. His absence wasn’t tactical. It was medical — and worryingly familiar.

Sesko has suffered a recurrence of the shin problem that already wrecked a large chunk of his year. That injury kept the 23-year-old out for more than two months, ruled him out of United’s final three games of last season and wiped out his entire pre-season. Now it has flared again just as he was trying to build rhythm.

After the draw at Craven Cottage, Michael Carrick cut a cautious figure when pressed on the striker’s condition.

“We're not sure with Ben yet,” the United manager said. “He felt a bit of pain after the game [against Brighton] so we're assessing him. At the moment, he definitely wasn't ready for [Fulham], so I haven't really got any more news to give you at this point. We'll have to see what that brings.”

No timeframe. No guarantees. Just another key attacker back in the treatment room.

Stuttering start, shrinking options

Sesko’s stop-start season mirrors United’s own. The draw with Fulham means Carrick’s side have managed only one win from their opening five Premier League matches. Goals have been hard work. Fluency has been rare.

Sesko has featured six times in all competitions this term, easing his way back with a substitute appearance at Hull on the opening weekend. The plan was to build him up steadily. The shin has ripped that script up.

His absence strips United of a different profile up front at a time when the attack already looks short on conviction. The timing could hardly be worse.

A sliver of good news

Not everything at Craven Cottage was grim. Luke Shaw’s name back in the starting XI offered a genuine lift. The left-back, so often a stabilising presence, returned to the lineup and immediately strengthened the balance of Carrick’s side.

There was also a first glimpse of £70 million summer signing Carlos Baleba in a matchday squad. The midfielder, recovering from an ankle problem, made the bench for the first time.

“Luke coming back is good for the squad. And having Carlos in the group for the first time... is important today,” Carrick said before kick-off, welcoming two pieces of overdue good news.

But the injury list still bites. Matthijs de Ligt travelled with the squad to London but was not fit enough to make the bench. Amad Diallo remains without a single appearance this season, another attacking option stuck on the sidelines.

International break brings questions, not clarity

Now comes a three-week international break, and with it a different kind of tension. United’s medical staff finally have time to assess the damage across the squad, but there is no certainty over who will stay and who will report for national duty.

It is still unclear whether Sesko will withdraw from Slovenia’s camp as the club continues to monitor his shin. Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo are also doubts for England, both managing ongoing fitness concerns that have already shaped Carrick’s early-season selections.

The break offers breathing space. It also piles pressure on the medical department to deliver answers.

Brutal schedule waits on the other side

When the league resumes, there will be no gentle reintroduction. United host Tottenham on October 10 in a fixture that rarely allows for half-measures, then head straight into a high-stakes Champions League trip to Atletico Madrid in Spain.

Carrick needs clarity on Sesko. He needs Rashford fit and firing. He needs Mainoo available.

Because once domestic football restarts, there will be no hiding place for a squad already walking a tightrope between potential and a full-blown early-season crisis.