Ruben Amorim has been told he already has the perfect replacement for an injured Benjamin Sesko in the Manchester United squad. The Red Devils endured an anxious wait after the striker limped off late in the dramatic 2-2 draw against Tottenham, sparking fears of a potentially devastating knee injury for their marquee summer signing. He is now expected to miss around a month of action for Amorim's side.
Early panic turns to measured optimism
Sesko had only been introduced in the second half, but collapsed after a heavy challenge and immediately signalled for medical help. With all substitutions already made, United were forced to finish the match a man down. After the match, Amorim did little to calm nerves, admitting: " I am more concerned with an injury, because it's in the knee, we don't know, we need Ben to be a better team. I have no idea. Because it's the knee we never know."
Following his withdrawal from Slovenia’s pivotal World Cup qualifiers against Kosovo and Sweden, Sesko returned to Carrington for a detailed medical evaluation. Club doctors performed extensive scans to determine the severity of the damage, and the results brought a collective sense of relief as there was no major ligament injury. He remained in Manchester to begin targeted rehabilitation while waiting for the medical staff to finalise a long-term recovery schedule. According to , Sesko is expected to be absent for "at most a month," a relatively positive outcome given the initial fear that his season might have been derailed.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesZirkzee left as the lone senior striker
Sesko’s brief spell on the sidelines leaves United with a striking shortage. Joshua Zirkzee is now the only natural centre-forward available to Amorim, raising the prospect of tactical reshuffles or emergency cover. But not everyone believes United should panic or search for temporary solutions in the market, as one of United’s former forwards, Dwight Yorke, insists the answer is already inside the building. Yorke, speaking to , encouraged Amorim to embrace youth rather than resort to stopgap signings. He warned that United have a history of drafting in short-term forwards who fail to meet expectations, insisting that the club should avoid repeating the same mistakes.
"I think Amorim has got to invest in the young players and bring some fresh talent through to give a little bit of a chance if Sesko is out injured," he said.
"If you're going to bring in a makeshift option as cover, we’ve seen United do that in the past and it hasn't worked. It's too big of a club for bringing in a player that’s not the right fit to improve the team. I’d understand if they were firing on all cylinders to get someone else in there but when things are not going so great, it’s a difficult fit. If United are going to go and sign someone else, I think they have to go out there like Liverpool and bring in someone who would have a really big presence at the football club. Otherwise, the under-23s are there for a reason.”
Is Obi the answer to Amorim's struggles?
Yorke pointed to one player in particular, the 18-year-old Chido Obi. The Nigerian-born striker arrived from Arsenal in 2024 and featured seven times in last season’s Premier League campaign before returning to the under-23 side this term.
"What about Chido Obi? I know the first-team squads are big, but you’ve got to get these young players around the team for when situations like this happen. When I was at United, the youngsters could train with us and then we’d let them play to get game time and train with us more. It’s so that when they come, they are already up to speed. That’s something I would look at.
“I would like to see Obi put in if Sesko is out. If you're good enough to be at United, you've got to give them a chance. History has shown that this is a club where young players get that chance to stand in and step and we’ve seen that time and time again. If they're going down the road of just trying to bring in somebody who's just okay, United will find themselves going back down the other way again, and I wouldn't go down the road. We’ve seen where that goes.”
Getty When can Sesko return from injury?
United return to Premier League action on November 24 against Everton, a match Sesko will miss as his rehabilitation continues. Should he remain on schedule, the Slovenian could target a return for the December 21 trip to Aston Villa or the Boxing Day showdown with Newcastle at Old Trafford.