Michael Carrick revealed that Benjamin Šeško had been left out of Manchester United’s squad for Sunday’s trip to Fulham while he undergoes “a little bit of an assessment” on a mysterious injury.
Šeško is still yet to start a single Premier League game this season. The burly striker spent the summer recovering from a nagging shin problem which took weeks of careful management. “We just need a little bit longer, longer than usual, because if you start too early, it might appear again,” he warned as recently as last week.
Carrick played the waiting game with his striker, naming Šeško as a substitute for United’s first four Premier League fixtures. However, the 23-year-old was deemed fit enough to start Manchester United’s first Champions League fixture of the season—he even scored in the rout of Sabah FK—and Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie 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 insisted earlier this month.
The update provided by Carrick to Sky Sports was so vague it’s unclear whether this was a new issue for the striker or the aggravation of that troublesome shin. “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 manager would offer.
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 retained his role through the middle in the absence of Šeško, much to the disappointment of many fans. Without the injured Amad Diallo as an option on the right, Carrick has repeatedly given Bryan Mbeumo that spot on the flank, thereby taking away the potential of lining up with the Cameroon international at center forward.
While Cunha has his merits when it comes to deft interplay with Bruno Fernandes, he offers nowhere near the same speedy thrust as the jet-heeled Mbeumo. Given the yawning chasms of space Fulham have given up to each opponent thus far this season, United may not have so much of a problem going forward even without Šeško.
Man Utd Given Major Double Injury Boost
It’s been a long-time coming for Carlos Baleba’s Manchester United debut. The $93.7 million (£70 million) signing was officially unveiled almost a month ago but arrived from Brighton with an ankle injury (ironically sustained while playing United). The Red Devils had been linked with Baleba for more than a year before his eventual arrival, which could be rubber-stamped at Craven Cottage.
For the first time this season, Carrick named Baleba in a matchday squad. The 22-year-old was only risked with a substitute’s role and has not been included on Cameroon’s roster for the upcoming international break, with the youngster’s long-term health clearly in mind. “He’s fit now,” Carrick smiled. “He hasn’t trained an awful lot with the team but enough to be involved today. We’re delighted to have him fit.”
On top of Baleba, Carrick could also welcome Luke Shaw back into the fold. United’s only senior left back—a status influenced in part by how much Baleba cost—has sat out the team’s last three matches since limping off against Everton two weeks ago. The 31-year-old has now sufficiently recovered to take his place in the starting XI.
