Sesko Injury Deepens Manchester United's Early-Season Woes
Manchester United’s season has barely started, and already their £74 million striker is back in the treatment room and under scrutiny from two of the club’s most decorated midfielders.
Benjamin Sesko, signed from Leipzig in the summer of 2025 to lead United’s attack, has suffered a fresh leg problem, reigniting concerns over both his fitness and the club’s planning. Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, never shy of an opinion, are far from convinced by the situation.
Sesko arrived with expectation and baggage. He missed the entire pre-season after aggravating a leg injury first sustained last term, when he took a kick during United’s win over Liverpool in May. This campaign he has been eased in: a start in the Champions League against Sabah, another in the Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton, and four substitute appearances in the league.
Then, suddenly, nothing.
He was left out of the squad entirely for Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Fulham, not even travelling to London as United laboured to scrape a point at Craven Cottage. Manager Michael Carrick admitted he could not yet give a clear assessment of the problem. Tests this week will dictate the next steps, but the timing is grim. United’s start to the season has already veered towards disastrous; losing their marquee No 9 only tightens the squeeze.
The transfer window only sharpens the criticism. United chose not to sign another out-and-out striker in the summer, effectively betting the house on Sesko and Joshua Zirkzee. The Dutchman’s record – nine goals in 77 matches – hardly screams ruthless finisher, yet he is now the only recognised centre-forward available.
Criticism from Former Players
On the latest episode of “The Good, the Bad and the Football”, Butt made his frustration clear, first with recruitment, then with the nature of Sesko’s setback.
“The back four is a big problem, but for me, the bigger problem is the number 9,” Butt said, quoted by the English newspaper Metro. “How can Manchester United have only one striker? Who is injured, and with what injury, is it a leg injury?”
Scholes, sitting alongside him, cut in with a barbed quip. “How do you get injured in your leg? Isn’t that a broken leg? Can’t you just wear shin pads?”
The tone was jokey, but the message was sharp: United, in their eyes, look short both physically and mentally in the one area a top side can least afford to be weak.
Butt pushed the point. “Either you break your leg, or you play. Wear shin pads or padding, I don’t quite understand it. It’s hard to discuss without knowing what it is.”
That last line is the crux of United’s problem. No one, not even the manager, seems sure exactly how bad Sesko’s injury is, or how long he will be missing. While the medical team waits for scan results, Carrick must navigate a brutal schedule with a single senior striker and a fanbase already restless.
United gambled on Sesko. Now, with their new No 9 sidelined again and club legends questioning everything from squad depth to toughness, the cost of that gamble is starting to bite.
