Manchester United Blocks Sesko from Slovenia Duty Due to Injury
Manchester United have stepped in and shut the door on Benjamin Sesko’s latest international call-up, with the striker still battling the shin problem that wrecked the end of his last campaign.
The 23-year-old has been withdrawn from Slovenia’s squad for their upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Scotland (twice), North Macedonia and Switzerland, with United refusing to allow him to travel to have the issue assessed.
This is no minor niggle. Sesko missed the end of last season with pain in his shin, then sat out the entire pre-season. He only resurfaced off the bench against Hull City in United’s Premier League opener, a brief cameo that hinted at a return but not at full fitness.
Since then, his season has never really found a rhythm. Two goals in six appearances suggest a striker ticking over, but the performances tell a different story. He laboured in the EFL Cup tie against Brighton & Hove Albion, then disappeared from the squad entirely for Sunday’s Premier League clash with Fulham.
Club vs country tension grows
Sesko had been scheduled to join Bostjan Cesar’s Slovenia squad for the four-game Nations League block, a significant stretch in their calendar. Instead, United have drawn a firm line.
The club released a clear statement on Monday, confirming his withdrawal and underlining that his recovery will be managed in Manchester.
“Manchester United can confirm that Benjamin Sesko has withdrawn from the Slovenia squad ahead of the upcoming three-week international break,” the statement read.
“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.”
Behind that formal language lies a growing fault line. Sesko’s repeated absences from national team duty since joining United have reportedly strained relations between the player’s club and country. Each withdrawal adds another layer of frustration for Slovenia, who rely heavily on his presence in attack.
Carrick cautious, United anxious
Michael Carrick cut a cautious figure when asked about Sesko’s situation after the Fulham game. The United head coach made it clear the striker was nowhere near ready to feature.
“We’re not sure with Ben yet. He felt a bit of pain after the game, we’re assessing him,” Carrick 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.”
United hope to have Sesko available for the Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on October 10. Hope, though, is all it is for now. The club will only know more once this week’s tests are completed and an individual recovery plan is mapped out.
A stop-start United career
Sesko arrived from RB Leipzig last summer with the profile of a long-term centre-forward solution. His numbers so far are respectable on paper: 14 goals and one assist in 38 appearances for United in all competitions.
Strip that back to the Premier League and he has 12 goals and one assist in 34 league outings. Not a failure, not yet a flagship success either.
The problem has been continuity. Bursts of promise, followed by quiet spells. A run of sharp finishes, then a dip in form or, as now, injury. It has left the sense of a player hovering between potential and reality, flashes of a future star without the sustained run to truly announce himself.
United’s medical team will now try to solve the shin issue that has stalked him for months. Slovenia, meanwhile, head into a key Nations League stretch without their leading forward and with the uneasy feeling that club priorities are once again winning the tug of war.
If United can get Sesko fit and firing by the time Tottenham arrive at Old Trafford, the decision to keep him back will look like smart protection. If the pain lingers and the stop-start pattern continues, the questions around his trajectory – and his international availability – will only grow louder.
