Rooney questions Sesko's shin injury after United striker misses Fulham draw

Wayne Rooney has cast doubt on Benjamin Sesko’s fitness after the Manchester United striker sat out the 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage, with the club’s record goalscorer arguing the shin problem should not have kept him off the pitch.

Speaking on his podcast Stick to United, Rooney was blunt in his assessment. “Shin? Has he broken it?” he said. “You can hurt your shin, you can take tackles… I bet he’s wearing them little stupid shinpads as well.” He added: “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. 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.”

Sesko, 23, has struggled for consistent starts since joining United, having first aggravated the shin issue during pre-season. The problem worsened in the Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton, ruling him out of the trip to Fulham — a game in which manager Michael Carrick was left without a recognised striker to call upon when chasing the game.

United eventually rescued a point in west London after falling behind, but the result leaves Carrick with just one win from his opening five matches, with the club sitting 12th in the Premier League table.

With the first international break of the season now under way, Sesko has been withdrawn from Slovenia’s squad for their Nations League fixtures against Scotland, North Macedonia, and Switzerland. A club statement confirmed: “Benjamin Sesko has withdrawn from the Slovenia squad ahead of the upcoming three-week international break. Benjamin will undergo tests this week before defining his individual recovery plan.”

The enforced rest period offers Sesko a window to address the injury properly, though Rooney’s public criticism will add to the scrutiny surrounding both the player and United’s handling of his fitness since the summer.