An extended spell on the sidelines could cause problems for Manchester United in attack with Afcon looming
Manchester United face an anxious wait over the fitness of Benjamin Sesko after the striker limped off late in the 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
The £74m forward came on as a second-half substitute but was forced off in the 88th minute after a collision with Micky van de Ven. He managed to walk off the pitch unaided but manager Ruben Amorim offered little reassurance when asked about the extent of the problem.
“We have to check,” said Amorim. “He has something in his knee, so let’s see. We think he has a problem.”
Pressed on whether the injury could rule Sesko out for an extended spell, Amorim said: “It’s the knee and we never know. I’m more concerned with an injury because it’s in the knee and I don’t know how serious it is.”
Sesko’s fitness status is particularly important with forwards Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo due to join up with Ivory Coast and Cameroon respectively for the Africa Cup of Nations in January. Amorim conceded the club may have to enter the transfer market.
“We have to check what’s happened with Ben,” he said. “We already knew we’d have a problem with the Afcon players, so we can prepare for that. Managing that situation is going to be hard, but when the window opens, we’ll see if we can improve the team.”
An extended spell on the sidelines for Sesko would add to what has already been a testing start to his United career. The 22-year-old has scored only twice in 11 appearances since joining the club for big money in the summer and has faced growing scrutiny from pundits.
Amorim said the young striker had to keep his head under pressure and learn to live with criticism.
“I’m relaxed, he’s not relaxed,” said Amorim. “If you don’t perform every week, you’re going to hear a lot of things from club legends, from pundits, from the media, and sometimes they are right.
United legend Gary Neville has criticised Sesko’s early performances. Amorim said: “Of course, nobody likes to hear that, but he struggled a little bit, and that is a fact. So let’s embrace that.
“It’s not personal, that’s what I try to explain to the players. It’s an opinion that is going to change in three weeks.”
