Benjamin Sesko wasn’t in the training photos Manchester United released Thursday morning. That got people talking. But the club isn’t sweating it.
The 23-year-old striker is working through an individually tailored rehab program after aggravating a shin injury late last season. According to The Sun, United is confident he’ll be fit for the season opener against Hull City on August 22. That’s still five weeks away. Plenty of time.
Sesko’s absence from the first day of preseason at Carrington is more precaution than panic. The club has him on a separate track, building up his fitness gradually. No need to rush a guy who was one of the league’s most efficient scorers down the stretch.
The Injury and the Context
It happened in that 3-2 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford. Sesko took a shove from Ibrahima Konate that sent him off the pitch, and it reaggravated an existing shin issue. The win clinched Champions League qualification, so United had the luxury of sitting him for the final three games. Smart move.
Under Michael Carrick, who replaced the fired Ruben Amorim after that messy fallout with sporting director Jason Wilcox, Sesko found a rhythm he never had before. He scored seven times in 13 appearances during the second half of the campaign. But the real story is the minutes: just 595 of them. That’s a goal every 85 minutes. Best conversion rate in the Premier League.
Not bad for a guy who looked lost under Amorim. But then again, most of the squad did. Bruno Fernandes was the exception, but everyone else seemed out of sorts during that turbulent stretch.
What’s Next
United has five friendlies lined up to get sharp: Wrexham, Rosenborg, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Leeds United. Expect Sesko to ease into some of those, maybe not the early ones. The goal is to have him leading the line for Carrick when Hull City comes to town.
Sesko joined United last summer from RB Leipzig for £74 million. It took him a while to get going, but when he did, he looked worth every penny. The shin issue is the only thing that slowed him down. If the club’s confidence holds, he’ll be back to terrorizing defenses soon enough.
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