Slovenia boss furious at Manchester United’s lack of consultation with striker’s national side
Slovenia forward Benjamin Sesko has been ruled out of his country’s upcoming World Cup qualifying fixtures after suffering a knee injury during Manchester United’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The 22-year-old was forced off in the closing minutes of the match and will remain in Manchester for further assessment rather than joining up with the Slovenia squad this week.
United have described the problem as minor but are keeping him under observation at Carrington.
Slovenia face Kosovo and Sweden in an international window that will determine whether they stay in contention for a playoff place. Matjaz Kek’s side are third in Group B, three points behind second-placed Kosovo and seven adrift of leaders Switzerland.
Only the top two progress, meaning Slovenia must beat Kosovo on Saturday and take at least a point in Stockholm on 18 November to keep their hopes alive.
United sources have indicated that the club don’t expect the injury to be serious but will know more before the end of the break. It is unclear whether Sesko will be fit enough to play against Everton on 24 November.
Slovenia head coach Kek is displeased that United declared the striker injured and out of the qualifiers without duly informing his national side.
“With all due respect to a great club like Manchester United, we have officially not received anything yet, no papers, no documents,” said Kek.
“We would certainly like to get them. We want our medical team to also take a look at it. Our doctor is an expert in this field. We don’t just have anyone in this position.”
