Sesko has not played since 16 September, and Man United now expect him to be out until January
The shin injury he picked up against Liverpool in May has not cleared, and United’s only orthodox striker will miss the rest of 2026.
Oct 29, 2026
Benjamin Sesko last played for Manchester United on 16 September, when he was taken off after 66 minutes of a 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford. United now expect him to stay out until at least January, and the shin problem behind it has been with him since at least May.
The Athletic and the BBC both reported the timeline on Wednesday. Sesko has had several tests, the club’s medical staff have worked with specialists on a plan, and for now the plan is rest rather than an operation. Sources told the BBC it is an impact injury, not shin splints.
A knock from May that never fully went away
The damage goes back to United’s 3-2 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford on 3 May. Sesko scored that day, then went into the advertising hoardings after a shove from Ibrahima Konaté and did not come out for the second half. Michael Carrick said at the time that the striker had been carrying a shin problem for a while. Sesko missed the end of the 2025-26 season and then the whole of pre-season.
Even with the time he missed, he scored 12 goals in 32 games in his first season. This one has brought six appearances and two goals, one of them in the 4-0 Champions League win over Sabah on 10 September. That makes 14 goals in 38 games since United paid RB Leipzig £73.7 million for him in August 2025.
The only No 9 United have
It could hardly come at a worse time for Carrick. Sesko is the only orthodox centre-forward in the squad, and United did not sign another one in the summer. They are 16th in the Premier League with one league win from eight, and that Sabah game is still their last win in any competition.
Carrick was widely expected to lose his job after the 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth, the game in which he left Bruno Fernandes on the bench. He is still in charge, and on Saturday he takes United to Stamford Bridge, with kick-off at 6pm IST. Fernandes is expected back in the side after the two cleared the air this week, according to reports, but there is still no Sesko to play off.
This pushes the striker question into January whether United planned it or not. TEAMtalk reports that Club Brugge’s Nicolò Tresoldi, Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta, Freiburg’s Igor Matanović and Dinamo Zagreb’s Dion Beljo are on the club’s list. Whoever comes in cannot play before January, though, and Sesko will need time to get his sharpness back once he is fit. United have to get through November and December with what they already have.