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

Benjamin Sesko is on course to be fit for the start of Manchester United’s season, easing fears that their first-choice No 9 might miss the opening weeks of the campaign.

The 23-year-old has sat out United’s first two pre-season friendlies against Wrexham and Rosenborg, but that absence was planned rather than alarming. Staff at Carrington describe his recovery from a shin injury as “on schedule”, with no setbacks since he aggravated the problem in the 3-2 win over Liverpool on May 3.

United kept the exact nature of the injury deliberately vague at the time, yet the picture now is clear enough: the final three matches of last season, which Sesko missed, are expected to be the only competitive fixtures he sits out because of it.

The Slovenia international stepped up his work last week, returning to outdoor training and edging closer to a matchday squad. If progress holds, he has a realistic chance of featuring against Atletico Madrid in Stockholm on Saturday, even if only for a controlled, managed outing.

United’s coaches, though, have a different game ringed in red.

All being well, Sesko is likely to start against Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg on August 8, a fixture viewed inside the club as a key dress rehearsal before the serious business begins. From Sweden, United will head straight to Dublin for a six-day training camp, a late-summer bunker in which the attacking patterns around Sesko are expected to be sharpened.

The schedule is unforgiving. Leeds United await at Croke Park on August 12, United’s penultimate friendly, before the Premier League campaign opens away to Hull City on August 22. By then, the plan is simple: Sesko leading the line, the shin issue filed away as a brief scare rather than a lingering story.

His absence in these early friendlies has opened a different subplot. Joshua Zirkzee has started up front against both Wrexham and Rosenborg, an opportunity born as much from circumstance as from long-term planning. United would prefer to move the Dutchman on, but the numbers are awkward.

To avoid booking a loss on a player who cost £36.5 million in July 2024, United would need around £21 million. That figure makes an outright sale difficult and leaves a loan as the most realistic route, with a return to Serie A the likeliest outcome. Italian clubs have tracked Zirkzee throughout his time at Old Trafford and the interest has not cooled.

Behind all this sits a broader strategic concern. United still want another striker to support Sesko, wary of placing too much physical and psychological load on a 23-year-old across four competitions. Recruitment plans have been busy, rumour mills even busier.

One name that briefly flickered was Danny Welbeck. United moved quickly to deny any contact with their former forward, even as Chelsea stepped in and made their play. Welbeck, now 35, scored 14 goals for Brighton last season and has never hidden his openness to a return to Old Trafford one day. His contract at Brighton runs out next year, which only adds to his appeal in a tight market.

For now, though, that particular reunion sits in someone else’s hands. Chelsea have made their move, and United’s focus stays on getting their current No 9 back to full speed.

Sesko’s return to the grass, the pencilled start against PSG, the looming trip to Hull – it all points in one direction. United want to begin this season with clarity up front, not questions. Whether the club can match that clarity in the transfer market before the window closes is the next test.