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Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has admitted the club still has no clear picture regarding the extent of Benjamin Šeško's most recent shin injury.
The forward withdrew from Slovenia's national team squad late last month after sitting out United's 1–1 stalemate against Fulham, having picked up a shin complaint.
A comparable shin issue had sidelined Šeško back in May, cutting his 2025–26 campaign short. He subsequently sat out preseason to concentrate on rebuilding his fitness over the summer and had largely come off the bench before this new setback emerged. While the current problem isn't identical, Carrick acknowledged it bears an unsettling resemblance.
"It's not the exact issue," Carrick said of Šeško's setback. "It's a similar area, but it's not the exact same thing again.
"And we're kind of still working through it a little bit of seeing how long the issue will be. We're hoping that it'll be soon, obviously, but at this moment it's still not quite clear."
The Ongoing Sesko Mystery
The fact that this latest shin complaint bears even a loose connection to the injury sustained back in May will be deeply alarming for United, who will be worried that a long-term issue may have developed into something more significant.
Those concerns are underscored by the reality that United still lack a complete understanding of what is happening with Šeško's shin more than three weeks after the new problem emerged. An abundance of caution is clearly being exercised.
"I think he had recovered really well actually from the initial one, and there was a lot of time, and sometimes things get thrown up," Carrick explained.
"The body does certain things, and we've got to react to that and try and get him back as quick as we can."
Taking a cautious approach is undoubtedly the correct call, even though Šeško's prolonged and open-ended absence represents a significant setback for Carrick's first-team options.
Man Utd's Striker Options Without Sesko
Šeško has yet to make a Premier League start for United this season, with Brazilian international Matheus Cunha having led the attack throughout the campaign so far.
Cunha can continue to spearhead the attack during Šeško's absence, but Carrick's primary concern will be the lack of quality depth behind him.
Joshua Zirkzee now stands as the first backup option. The Dutch forward had been widely expected to depart Old Trafford during the summer, having disappointed with just nine goals across 79 appearances in all competitions for the club.
Should Šeško require another lengthy spell on the treatment table, considerable trust will need to be placed in a player who has remained available for transfer and could still depart in January if a suitable bid materialises.
Right winger Bryan Mbeumo also has the ability to operate through the middle, though he has featured exclusively out wide in every minute of the season to date. An injury to Amad Diallo, who has only recently returned to light training, has further limited Carrick's tactical flexibility in that area.