Manchester United Block Sesko from Slovenia Duty Over Shin Issue
Benjamin Sesko’s stop-start Manchester United career has hit another bump, and this one stretches beyond Old Trafford.
United have refused to release the 23-year-old striker for Slovenia’s upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures, with the club insisting his ongoing shin problem needs to be managed in Manchester rather than on international duty.
Club vs country tension grows
Sesko ended last season in pain, his shin troubling him badly enough to rule him out of the run-in. He then vanished from United’s entire pre-season, only re-emerging as a substitute in the opening Premier League game against Hull City.
Since then, the pattern has been familiar: brief flashes, followed by frustration.
He has two goals in six appearances for United this season, but his most recent outing – a laboured display in the EFL Cup against Brighton & Hove Albion – underlined a player far from full sharpness. He then dropped out of the squad completely for Sunday’s Premier League win over Fulham.
Yet he was still named in Slovenia’s squad for a demanding Nations League block: back-to-back meetings with Scotland, plus games against North Macedonia and Switzerland. Those plans have now been torn up.
United have decided Sesko will not travel to Slovenia at all, not even for an assessment by the national team’s medical staff. That stance, against a backdrop of what has already been described as a strained relationship between the club and Slovenia over his repeated absences, will not cool the temperature.
United make their position clear
The club moved to set out their version in a statement.
“Manchester United can confirm that Benjamin Sesko has withdrawn from the Slovenia squad ahead of the upcoming three-week international break,” it read.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.”
Michael Carrick struck a cautious note when pressed on the situation after the Fulham match.
“We’re not sure with Ben yet. He felt a bit of pain after the game, we’re assessing him,” the United head coach said.
“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.”
Inside the club, there is quiet hope he could return in time for the Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on October 10. Right now, that’s a target, not a guarantee.
A career still waiting to ignite
Sesko arrived from RB Leipzig last summer with the profile of a future focal point: tall, quick, technically clean, and with the kind of penalty-box instincts United have craved.
The numbers so far tell a mixed story. Fourteen goals and one assist in 38 appearances in all competitions is respectable for a young forward adapting to a new league and a new level of scrutiny. In the Premier League, he has 12 goals and one assist from 34 games – evidence that he can hurt defences, but not yet with the regularity expected of a leading striker at Old Trafford.
Consistency has been the missing piece. Bursts of promise, followed by quiet spells. A run of games, then another physical setback. Just as he looks ready to build momentum, something interrupts the rhythm.
This shin injury threatens to become the defining thread of his early United career unless it is finally resolved. For Slovenia, it is another international window without their star centre-forward fully at their disposal. For United, it is a delicate balancing act: protect a valuable asset now, or risk aggravating a problem that refuses to go away.
The club have made their choice. Sesko stays in Manchester, under their control, their doctors, their plan.
Whether that decision buys them a fully fit striker for Tottenham and the months beyond, or deepens the rift with Slovenia as a crucial international cycle unfolds, will shape the next chapter of a career still waiting for a clear, uninterrupted run.
