Benjamin Sesko is not ready to feature in pre-season friendlies, but the Manchester United striker looks in good shape as he steps up his recovery from injury at Carrington.
The only real concern from Manchester United’s first pre-season match, a 1-0 defeat to Wrexham, was Benjamin Sesko’s absence.
After missing the end of the 2025/26 campaign with a shin injury, Sesko has now been ruled out of United’s first two matches of the pre-season tour after Michael Carrick announced his squad to face Rosenborg.
United fans will be relieved to see that Sesko has been training with the first team at Carrington, despite not being ready to travel to Norway for Friday’s friendly match.
Man Utd have CONFIRMED the squad travelling to face Rosenborg!
JJ Gabriel is IN!
Benjamin Sesko looks stronger ahead of 2026/27 season
Stepping into the new season, Sesko is looking to build on the 12 goals he scored in his debut campaign.
The 23-year-old has shown plenty of promising glimpses since joining from RB Leipzig, but he still needs to prove himself as United’s primary centre-forward.
It is not ideal that Sesko is missing the first two matches of pre-season because this period of preparation is crucial. Getting it right could set Sesko up for a successful campaign.
Sesko arrived as a physical striker, standing at 6 ft 5 inches, but training pictures this week suggest he’s looking even stronger, which is an encouraging sign even if he’s not playing matches yet.
Hopefully, this can help Sesko cause more havoc against Premier League defenders.
While Carrick will be eager to get Sesko back playing, even if it’s friendly matches, the last thing the United head coach wants to do is aggravate the injury that ruled him out towards the end of last season.
This isn’t an uncommon observation when young players return for pre-season, especially in the modern game when professionals tend to take better care of themselves during the off-season.
- ⚡ KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Benjamin Sesko has been ruled out of the first two matches recovering from a shin injury
- Still, the Manchester United striker appears in good shape at Carrington
- Sesko is aiming to build on the 12 goals he scored for United in his debut season
Which player from Manchester United’s starting XI against Rosenborg in 2024 has surprised you the most?
Erik ten Hag named this starting XI in the 1-0 defeat to Rosenborg two years ago…
Benjamin Sesko must target Marcus Rashford milestone
The last United player to score 20 or more goals in a single season was Marcus Rashford, who scored 30 goals across all competitions during the 2022/23 season.
Rashford scored 17 of those goals in the Premier League and six in the Europa League.
This is a good milestone for Sesko to aim for in his second season at Old Trafford. It would mark a significant improvement.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
