Man United's Sesko out until January with shin injury
- Benjamin Sesko is expected to miss Manchester United matches until at least January because of a shin injury.
- The striker has not played since United's Carabao Cup defeat by Brighton on September 16.
- His absence leaves manager Michael Carrick without his only orthodox centre-forward.
Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko is expected to be out until at least January with a shin injury, according to reports carried by BBC Sport and picked up by Nigerian outlets on Thursday.
The 23-year-old Slovenia international has not played for United since the Carabao Cup defeat by Brighton on September 16, when he was taken off in the 66th minute.
He has had several medical tests to find the cause of the problem. Sources say it is an impact injury rather than shin splints.
The same complaint troubled him before. He missed the whole of pre-season with it, and it flared up against Liverpool in May, ruling him out of the final three Premier League games of last season.
Why it matters for United
Sesko joined United from RB Leipzig in August 2025 for £73.7 million. In 38 appearances in all competitions he has scored 14 goals and set up one.
Despite missing eight matches last season, he still finished as the club's joint-top Premier League scorer with 11 goals, level with Bryan Mbeumo.
He has two goals this term, against Everton in the league and Sabah FK in the Champions League. After the Sabah match he spoke of his relief at being free of injury, but the problem has returned.
His absence leaves manager Michael Carrick short of options, with Sesko seen as the club's only orthodox centre-forward. He is set to miss league games against Liverpool and Arsenal, plus at least three Champions League matches.
United are 16th in the league. Their only win came against Ipswich on August 30, and they have not won in any competition since September 10.
Last Wednesday's 4-1 Champions League defeat by Como was followed by captain Bruno Fernandes criticising Carrick's tactics, according to reports. Fernandes was an unused substitute in Sunday's 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth, but the pair reportedly held clear-the-air talks on Tuesday.
Carrick had been widely expected to lose his job after the Bournemouth defeat. He is now set to be in charge for Saturday's Premier League game against Chelsea.
What happens next
Sesko's long spell out could push United to sign a striker in the January transfer window, with the lack of a natural centre-forward already flagged as a concern.
For now, Carrick must get through a tough run of fixtures without him, starting with Chelsea at the weekend.
