Benjamin Sesko Set to Return for Manchester United's Season Start

Benjamin Sesko is expected to be fit in time for the start of Manchester United’s season, easing fears over the striker’s shin injury and restoring some clarity to the club’s attacking plans.

The 23-year-old has sat out United’s opening two pre-season friendlies against Wrexham and Rosenborg, but that absence has always been part of a carefully managed rehabilitation schedule rather than a late setback. Sources at Carrington insist his recovery is progressing as planned and that there was never any intention for him to feature in those early games.

Sesko first damaged his shin earlier in the campaign and aggravated the problem in the 3-2 win over Liverpool on May 3. United kept the exact nature of the issue deliberately vague at the time, but the picture is now far more straightforward: the final three fixtures of last season, which he missed, are expected to be the only competitive matches he sits out because of the injury.

The Slovenia international has already stepped back onto the grass, starting outdoor training last week. If his workload continues to build without reaction, he has a realistic chance of being involved against Atletico Madrid in Stockholm on Saturday, a fixture that would mark his first minutes of the summer.

The club’s internal planning points to a more significant outing a few days later. Sesko is likely to start against Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg on August 8, a marquee test that sits neatly before United’s six-day training camp in Dublin. From Sweden to Ireland, the focus will be on sharpening his match fitness rather than nursing a problem.

That camp leads into a high-profile friendly against Leeds United at Croke Park on August 12, United’s penultimate warm-up before the Premier League opener away to Hull City on August 22. By then, the expectation is that Sesko will be ready to lead the line.

His absence in the early friendlies has opened a window for Joshua Zirkzee. The Dutch forward started against Wrexham and Rosenborg, an opportunity born less from long-term trust and more from circumstance. United would prefer to move him on, but any sale is complicated.

The numbers are blunt. Zirkzee cost £36.5 million in July 2024. To avoid booking a loss, United would need around £21 million now, a figure that narrows the field of realistic buyers. Interest has arrived steadily from Italy during his time at Old Trafford, and a loan back to Serie A currently looks the most plausible route if he does depart.

Behind all this sits a broader structural question: who supports Sesko?

United want another striker in the building, someone to share the load rather than block his path. The club has pushed back on suggestions that they approached Danny Welbeck before Chelsea made their move, denying any contact with the Brighton forward.

Welbeck, who scored 14 goals for Brighton last season, has never hidden his openness to a return to Old Trafford. The idea of a homecoming has hovered around him for years, gathering momentum every time United’s forward line looks thin. This time, though, it is Chelsea who have stepped in first.

The 35-year-old is out of contract at Brighton next year, a detail that makes him an attractive short-term option for clubs seeking experience without a long-term financial commitment. For now, that path appears to lead towards Stamford Bridge rather than back to Manchester.

So United press on with their plan: Sesko to be ready, a new striker still on the wishlist, and Zirkzee’s future hanging in the balance. As the pre-season tour tightens and the friendlies grow sharper, the club’s attacking hierarchy will start to harden. The question is whether the man set to spearhead it all can hit the ground running once that shin finally stops being a talking point.