Manchester United is heading into a brutal away fixture against Leeds United this Sunday, and manager Michael Carrick is already dealing with a major headache: Benjamin Sesko and two key defenders are out and haven’t even traveled with the squad. This is a massive blow right when the team needs to bounce back after that Champions League defeat in Madrid.
The Sesko Saga Gets Even Longer
It feels like we’ve been waiting forever for Benjamin Sesko to get back on the pitch, and the wait just got even longer. He’s still sidelined with that shin injury he picked up way back in September against Brighton & Hove Albion in the League Cup. Michael Carrick confirmed it, saying in his pre-match conference for the Leeds United outing, “Ben’s kind of still going undergoing a couple of kind of checks that we’re really trying to , before we kind of update on timelines of everything, we’re just trying to be clear with what that looks like, so he’s still a little bit further away.” Yeah, “a little bit further away” is not what anyone wants to hear. Club insider Sully even confirmed Sesko isn’t in the matchday squad again. This guy is a huge miss, especially when you’re going into a tough road game against a team like Leeds.
Full-Backs Go Down Hard
But wait, it gets worse. Carrick’s defensive options are taking a beating, too. Full-backs Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui both picked up injury knocks while on international duty with Denmark and Morocco, respectively. And guess what? They haven’t traveled with the squad either. Sully is reporting Dorgu is “expected to be out for a little while longer,” which is a brutal blow. Mazraoui, at least, trained this week and is “close to returning to action,” but the possibility of him traveling alone for the game is looking pretty slim as of now. Carrick has already had to shuffle things around, throwing Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven out wide in recent games to cover these exact kinds of issues. Now he’s gotta do it again against Leeds, a side known for their intense style of play under Daniel Farke and one of the Premier League’s most impressive sides this year. This is not ideal after a Champions League defeat in Madrid, is it?
So, United is rolling into Elland Road on Sunday afternoon with a seriously depleted squad, facing one of the Premier League’s most impressive sides this year. Carrick has some serious decisions to make on that back line. We’ll be watching to see how he tries to plug these massive holes and if the makeshift defense can hold strong. Hopefully, we get some good news on Mazraoui soon, and maybe, finally, an actual timeline for Sesko. This weekend is gonna be a test, for sure.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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