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Michael Carrick confirmed that Benjamin Šeško has been excluded from Manchester United's squad for Sunday's away fixture at Fulham as he undergoes "a little bit of an assessment" for an undisclosed injury.
Šeško has yet to make a single Premier League start this campaign. The powerful forward spent the summer recovering from a persistent shin complaint that required weeks of careful handling. "We just need a little bit longer, longer than usual, because if you start too early, it might appear again," he cautioned as recently as last week.
Carrick adopted a patient approach with his striker, naming Šeško among the substitutes for United's opening four Premier League matches. However, the 23-year-old was considered fit enough to start Manchester United's first Champions League outing of the season—netting in the thrashing of Sabah FK—and Wednesday's Carabao Cup clash with Brighton & Hove Albion.
"I think waiting a little bit longer was a great decision, and now it's healed, so it's perfect," Šeško stated earlier this month.
The update Carrick gave to Sky Sports was so ambiguous that it remains unclear whether this represents a fresh setback or a recurrence of the troublesome shin issue. "He pulled up after the game the other day with a little bit of pain, so we'll have to see how he is," was all the Manchester United boss was willing to share.
Man Utd Confirmed Lineup vs. Fulham
Starting XI: Senne Lammens; Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martínez, Luke Shaw; Youri Tielemans, Kobbie Mainoo; Bryan Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford.
Substitutes: Karl Darlow, Patrick Dorgu, Noussair Mazraoui, Leny Yoro, Andrey Santos, Carlos Baleba, Mason Mount, Shea Lacey, Joshua Zirkzee.
Matheus Cunha kept his place through the middle in Šeško's absence, much to the frustration of many supporters. With the injured Amad Diallo unavailable on the right, Carrick has consistently deployed Bryan Mbeumo in that wide position, removing the possibility of fielding the Cameroon international as a central striker.
While Cunha brings value in his fluid combination play with Bruno Fernandes, he lacks the explosive pace that the lightning-quick Mbeumo provides. Given the considerable defensive gaps Fulham have surrendered to opponents so far this season, United may not struggle too greatly in attack even without Šeško.
Man Utd Given Major Double Injury Boost
The wait for Carlos Baleba's Manchester United debut has been a lengthy one. The £70 million ($93.7 million) acquisition was officially presented nearly a month ago but arrived from Brighton carrying an ankle injury, ironically sustained in a match against United. The Red Devils had been pursuing Baleba for over a year before his move was finally completed, with his competitive bow potentially arriving at Craven Cottage.
For the first time this season, Carrick included Baleba in a matchday squad. The 22-year-old was only trusted with a place on the bench and has not been selected for Cameroon's squad during the upcoming international break, with his long-term wellbeing clearly the priority. "He's fit now," Carrick said with a smile. "He hasn't trained an awful lot with the team but enough to be involved today. We're delighted to have him fit."
Alongside Baleba's return, Carrick could also welcome Luke Shaw back into contention. United's only senior left back—a status partly shaped by the size of Baleba's transfer fee—has missed the club's last three games after hobbling off against Everton a fortnight ago. The 31-year-old has now recovered sufficiently to reclaim his spot in the starting lineup.