Manchester United are considering whether Benjamin Sesko requires surgery after the striker suffered another setback with a persistent shin problem.
The £73million forward is unavailable for the match against Tottenham, and the club do not yet know how long he will be out. United’s medical staff are assessing the best way to treat the latest issue.
Sesko, 23, missed almost four months after aggravating a shin injury against Liverpool at the beginning of May. He had played through pain towards the end of last season and was left out of Slovenia’s squad for the March international break.
The striker then missed all of pre-season before returning on the opening day of the current campaign, having been sidelined for three-and-a-half months.
He has since played against Sabah in the Champions League and Brighton in the Carabao Cup. However, he reported renewed discomfort in his shin after the Brighton match, according to the Manchester Evening News.
United head coach Michael Carrick said the latest problem was not identical to the original injury, although it was in a similar area.
“It’s not the exact issue, it’s a similar area, but it’s not the exact same thing again,” Carrick said.
“And we’re kind of still working through it a little bit to see how long the issue will be. We’re hoping that it’ll be soon, obviously, but at this moment it’s still not quite clear.”
Asked whether surgery was being considered, Carrick confirmed it was one of the options under review.
“Yeah, there’s different things to look at,” he said.
“I think he recovered really well actually from the initial one, and there was a lot of time, and sometimes things get thrown up, the body does certain things and we’ve got to react to that and try and get him back as quick as we can.”
Baleba nearing return
There was more encouraging news for Manchester United regarding midfielder Carlos Baleba, who could make his first appearance for the club against Tottenham.
The £70million signing was an unused substitute against Fulham three weeks ago but played in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Lausanne-Sport just over a week later.
“ He’s certainly getting closer, Carlos. It’s been great to have him out on the grass and to see him up close really, and played a little bit in a training game that we had last week, so that was good for him to get some minutes,” Carrick said.
However, Carrick warned that Baleba may need time to reach full match fitness after missing a significant period, including important stages of pre-season.
“I think the other side of it, a little bit, he has missed a lot, and he’s missed crucial time in terms of, you know, the end of pre-season, and there’s a little bit of patience there for him to get up to speed,” he added.
“That’s up to us to kind of pick that right time for him as well, but he offers us a lot. You know, I’ve said it before, the midfield that we’ve got we’re really happy with, and the selections and the options that we have, and he definitely adds to that.”
