Rooney joins Scholes and Butt in questioning Sesko's shin injury absence

Wayne Rooney has added his voice to a growing chorus of criticism directed at Benjamin Sesko, backing former Manchester United teammates Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt in questioning whether the striker’s shin injury justified his absence from Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Fulham.

Sesko played in United’s 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton last Wednesday but did not travel to west London for the Premier League fixture. Head coach Michael Carrick confirmed the Slovenian had flagged a shin complaint and would be assessed, and United announced on Monday that Sesko had also withdrawn from Slovenia’s squad for the upcoming three-week international break.

Scholes and Butt were the first to raise doubts, speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast. “If it isn’t broken, just wear your shin pads,” Scholes said, with Butt adding: “You’re a player — you either break your shin or you play.”

Rooney echoed those sentiments on his own podcast, Stick to United. “Shin? Has he broken it? You can hurt your shin, you can take tackles… I bet he’s wearing them little stupid shinpads as well,” the former United captain said. The 40-year-old went further, arguing the issue pointed to a deeper problem: “If you’re trying to play No9 for Man United and you’ve got a must-win game and you’ve got a sore shin and you’re not playing… that’s a big part of the problem.”

Rooney also reflected on the culture he experienced as a player at Old Trafford. “Unless you physically can’t play, you play when you’re injured. I remember before games we used to get injections and the doctor used to put them in your arse,” he said.

Not everyone has been so dismissive. Slovenia teammate and Leeds United defender Jaka Bijol defended Sesko, warning that public criticism of this kind could damage a player’s confidence. “I hope and believe that Beni knows how to distance himself from this kind of pressure,” the 27-year-old said. “When things aren’t going your best on the pitch and you have certain doubts, reading things like this can make your confidence even worse.”

Sesko himself addressed the situation in a statement posted on Instagram in Slovenian on Tuesday. “I am very sorry that I will have to miss the national team’s upcoming matches,” he wrote. “I have always played for Slovenia — and always will — with heart and pride. Right now, the most important thing is to focus fully on my recovery. I am already working on getting back on the pitch as soon as possible to help both the national team and my club once again.”

The striker is expected to return to first-team action for United after the international break.