Striker out for “a few weeks” but manager confident of timely return
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim says Benjamin Sesko will be unavailable for a few weeks with a knee injury but believes the striker will return in time to cover for absences during the Africa Cup of Nations next month.
Sesko suffered the injury after coming off the bench in the 2-2 draw at Tottenham before the international break. Amorim described the issue as “not that serious” but said the club will proceed cautiously with the 22-year-old.
“He’s going to stay a few weeks out,” Amorim said. “I don’t know how long, but he’s not that serious. We have to be careful with him. He’s going to recover, he’s feeling better. So in a few weeks, I expect to have Ben.”
Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui are all due to depart for Afcon in early December. Cameroon, the Ivory Coast and Morocco will begin preparations ahead of the tournament’s opening match on 21 December, leaving United short of attacking options in a packed December.
“I don’t want to say for sure, but when they are going to the Afcon, I expect to have Ben back,” Amorim said. “We have the rules regarding release of players. We will try to maintain the players a little bit longer, but it’s not just in our hands.
“We need to respect that, but we’ll try to do everything to protect the club, protect the players and protect the national teams.”
United are understood to be exploring whether they can negotiate later release dates for Mbeumo and Amad, though Fifa regulations require players to be made available no later than the start of the week before the tournament, in this case 8 December.
Against Everton on Monday night, United will be without Harry Maguire, who is ruled out with a hamstring strain. Kobbie Mainoo missed Friday’s training session and will undergo a fitness test. Lisandro Martinez is still recovering from knee surgery.
Amorim said that when Martinez returns to the pitch he could be used in midfield if there was “an emergency”. He also suggested Luke Shaw could operate as a wing-back if needed. Shaw has played as a left-sided centre-back this season largely due to his injury troubles.
“The load that a player does in that position [wing-back] is a bit different,” said Amorim. “But he is more prepared to do that. He is a smart player.”
