Benjamin Sesko’s injury put a huge dampener on things at Manchester United despite their late equaliser vs Spurs, and he could now be at the centre of a club vs country row as well.
When Benjamin Sesko pulled up with an injury after a tackle from behind by Micky van de Ven, the missed chance was the last thing on anyone’s mind.
Despite Man Utd having made all five subs, the fact that Sesko didn’t stay on the pitch and left United with ten men spoke volumes about how serious the injury presumably was.
Join our newsletter for news & smart analysis.At the time of writing, there has been no official update from the club, but Slovenia are getting impatient over their star striker’s status amid a prediction and a rant.
Benjamin Sesko’s injury frustrates Slovenia
Sesko might be getting to grips with the pressure of Old Trafford, but he is a pure talisman for his national side, where he’s the first name on the teamsheet.
His injury is as big a blow for Slovenia as it is for United, arguably even bigger, because their alternatives are nowhere near as high profile as United’s.
The worry was reflected in teammate Andraz Sporar’s comments, where he hinted that Slovenia should prepare for a tough international break without Sesko.
He said [via 24UR]: “I doubt he will come, but also because of his career, I hope it is nothing worse. He probably won’t be there, so we will have to take responsibility. We will certainly miss him because he is a really quality footballer.”
His manager, Slovenia’s head coach, Matjaz Kek, was nowhere near as diplomatic, hitting out at Man Utd in thinly-veiled fashion for keeping the country in doubt for the club’s interests.
Kek said [via Ekipa]: “With all due respect to a big club like Manchester United, we haven’t officially received anything yet, no paper, no document. We would definitely like to get it. We definitely want our medical service to look into the matter.
“The only thing I’m interested in is his well-being. We’re ready to do everything for that, and we’ve never sent anyone onto the field if there was the slightest risk. The national team is something very special, and I expect maximum respect from everyone.
“Slovenia deserves that, even if there’s a superpower like England on the other side, and something as exceptional as the Premier League. After all, it’s been a while since England beat Slovenia, and that also says something about us.”
Man Utd’s stance on Sesko’s injury
Slovenia’s frustration is valid because Sesko is an important player for them, but the same applies to United, especially in the wake of Rasmus Hojlund’s departure.
As special as Chido Obi is, he’s not ready to become United’s undisputed first-choice striker, and Ruben Amorim’s verdict on Joshua Zirkzee says everything about his prospects.
As per the BBC, United officials believe Sesko’s injury is “not serious”, which might be frustrating for Slovenia, but United’s stance could well be that international participation could aggravate it.
They want to be careful with their prized asset, even if it comes at the cost of his absence for Slovenia in their must-win World Cup playoff qualifiers.
It’s an unfortunate situation for everyone involved, and dialogue needs to be ongoing to resolve it best, because alienating either party, including Sesko, won’t be beneficial to anyone in the long run.