Given their current run of form, perhaps the very long lay-off comes at the right time for Manchester United. United head into the much bigger than usual international break 12th in the Premier League table and winless in their last three. Across all competitions, they have only won two of their first seven. With only five points from the first five matches, this season matches 2015-16 as United’s slowest start of the Premier League era. Plus they came out of the score draw with Fulham with two new injury concerns- Marcus Rashford and Benjamin Sesko.
We’ll get you caught up on all that, and provide a projection on when Amad Diallo and Matthijs de Ligt might be back in action.
Marcus Rashford
Rashford was subbed off in the 77′ and replaced by Joshua Zirkzee yesterday. He has also been withdrawn from the England squad, as he continues to manage an ongoing hip problem.
“We had to bring him off, as he had a bit of an issue,” United manager Michael Carrick said in post game. “I’m not sure [if he’s alright].” Rashford may be alright when play resumes in mid-October. The break will be great for him, and the rest might get him right.
He still has zero goal involvements on the season.
Benjamin Sesko
Sesko’s shin injury, the issue that forced him to miss the entire preseason, has flared up again. He missed the stalemate at Craven Cottage yesterday, and he’s withdrawn from international duty with Slovenia.
“Manchester United can confirm that Benjamin Sesko has withdrawn from the Slovenia squad ahead of the upcoming three-week international break,” a club statement said.
“The striker had been called up by head coach Bostjan Cesar for two games against Scotland, plus meetings with North Macedonia and Switzerland, but he will now no longer join the squad.
“Sesko last appeared in our Carabao Cup tie with Brighton & Hove Albion, but was absent from the matchday squad for our most recent encounter with Fulham. Benjamin will undergo tests this week before defining his individual recovery plan.”
United are hopeful that Sesko will be available for the next match, but we’ll have to wait and see.
“We’re not sure with Ben yet. He felt a bit of pain after the game, we’re assessing him,” Carrick said Sunday.
“At the moment, he definitely wasn’t ready for today, so I haven’t really got any more news to give you at this point. We’ll have to see what that brings.”
Amad Diallo
As Carrick said yesterday: “Amad, hopefully, by the time we get back, he will have trained with the group. That’s a positive.”
United really need the forward to come back, as he’s an important player, and their attack has been flat out pedestrian thus far. He seems to be in the final stages of recovery from his ankle injury.
Matthijs de Ligt
Still recovering from back surgery, he might be able to resume training soon, perhaps around the same time that club competition restarts.
“Matta is just working his way back, really,” Carrick said this past Tuesday. “So I don’t want to, because of how it’s been, put too much of a timeframe on it.”
Manuel Ugarte
Remains sidelined, for the very long term, as he recovers from surgery to repair a knee ligament injury.
United return to action on October 10 with a home match against last place side Tottenham Hotspur.
Squad Injury Updates: September/October International Break
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Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.