Manchester United Injury Update: Benjamin Sesko Withdraws from Slovenia Squad
Manchester United’s mounting injury list grew again on Monday as Benjamin Sesko withdrew from Slovenia’s squad, rounding off a bruising day of international pull-outs for the club.
The 23-year-old striker missed Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Fulham with a shin problem picked up in last week’s Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton. What initially looked like a knock is now serious enough to rule him out of a packed international schedule.
Sesko will sit out Slovenia’s two Nations League clashes with Scotland, as well as fixtures against North Macedonia and Switzerland during the three-week break.
“Manchester United can confirm that Benjamin Sesko has withdrawn from the Slovenia squad ahead of the upcoming three-week international break,” the club said in a statement. “Benjamin will undergo tests this week before defining his individual recovery plan.”
The wording was cautious. The mood around United is anything but.
United’s casualty list grows
Sesko became the fourth United player to pull out of international duty on Monday alone, underlining the physical strain on Michael Carrick’s squad.
Goalkeeper Karl Darlow has also left the Wales camp, despite being fit enough to take a place on the bench at Craven Cottage. His departure capped a grim day for Craig Bellamy’s side: Leeds winger Harry Wilson has been ruled out with a quad injury, and Wrexham striker Nathan Broadhead has also been sidelined.
For United, the list keeps lengthening.
Sesko and Darlow now join Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo among the early casualties of this international window. Both Rashford and Mainoo were part of a five-man group to withdraw from the England squad.
Carrick confirmed that Rashford picked up an “issue” at Fulham, where he was substituted after appearing to struggle with his hip – a problem that had already troubled him over the summer. The forward’s discomfort was plain as he left the pitch, another concern for a club already stretched.
Mainoo, who travelled to the World Cup earlier this year but did not feature under Tuchel, was also taken off in the closing stages of the draw at Craven Cottage. His withdrawal added to the sense of unease around United’s midfield resources.
United now head into the international break waiting on scan results, recovery plans and medical bulletins. The fixtures will keep coming when club football resumes. The question is simple: how many of their key players will be ready to face them?
