Carrick confirms Sesko injury scare ahead of Fulham clash as United's problems deepen

Benjamin Sesko was absent from Manchester United’s squad for Sunday’s Premier League fixture at Craven Cottage against Fulham, with interim manager Michael Carrick confirming the 23-year-old is being assessed after pulling up with pain following the midweek defeat to Brighton.

Sesko was substituted in the second half of Wednesday’s 3-2 Carabao Cup loss at Old Trafford, and Carrick revealed before kick-off at Fulham that the nature of the problem was still being evaluated. “A little bit of an assessment at the moment,” Carrick told reporters. “He pulled up after the game the other day with a little bit of pain, so we’ll have to see how he is.”

The injury may be a recurrence of the shin problem Sesko first sustained during a clash with Liverpool in May, which ruled him out of pre-season. The Slovenia international had featured in United’s opening six matches of the season, starting two, and scored in games against Everton and Sabah.

With Sesko unavailable, Matheus Cunha started up front for a United side that had managed just four points from their first four Premier League fixtures — a run that has heaped pressure on Carrick.

The former United midfielder addressed his own position directly ahead of the Fulham game, insisting he is focused solely on results rather than the security of his role. “In terms of future and ownership and how long I’ve got in the job, that’s just totally not in my thinking,” Carrick said. “It’s ridiculous to think that way in a position that I’m in.”

Carrick acknowledged the gravity of the recent run but pushed back against any sense of crisis. “It’s two or three games that we haven’t had certain results and two or three games too many because I really hate losing. But that doesn’t mean that the world caves in. We’ve got to perform, we’ve got to get wins and we’ve got a lot of games to plan for.”

Sesko’s fitness is also a concern at international level. The former RB Leipzig striker had been called up by Slovenia manager Bostjan Cesar for Nations League fixtures against Scotland, North Macedonia and Switzerland during the upcoming international break, and his participation in those games is now in doubt.