Benjamin Sesko misses Fulham as Carrick gives injury update

Benjamin Šeško did not travel with Manchester United for the Premier League clash with Fulham. Michael Carrick said the striker is being assessed after pulling up with pain following Wednesday's trip to Brighton.

Carrick's most pointed line was simple enough: "A little bit of an assessment at the moment. He pulled up after the game the other day with a little bit of pain, so we'll have to see how he is." That leaves United waiting on a late call on a forward who was already carrying injury problems.

Sesko's latest setback

The Brighton game was only the latest stop in a disrupted start to the season. Sesko was subbed off in the second half of the 3-2 loss at home to Brighton in the Carabao Cup, and Carrick's update suggested the issue needs checking before any decision is made.

The background is not reassuring. Sesko first sustained a shin injury in a clash with Liverpool in May and was ruled out of pre-season. He has still made only 4 appearances this season, played 85 minutes and scored once, so the latest concern arrives with very little rhythm behind him.

United's forward options

Sesko's absence leaves more pressure on United's attack at a time when Carrick is already asking for better results. Matheus Cunha is likely to be the name most associated with the centre-forward role in his absence, while Carrick also said: "It's two or three games that we haven't had certain results and two or three games too many because I really hate losing. But that doesn't mean that the world caves in. In some minds, it does. It can't for us because we've got to perform, we've got to get wins and we've got a lot of games to plan for. That's exactly what we're doing."

United's issue is not just one missed game. The club are still trying to settle into a better rhythm, and another check on one of their few early scorers is hardly ideal. Carrick's assessment now matters because the Fulham vs Manchester United game is already here, and the striker situation may not be resolved until the final team call.