Ruben Amorim has revealed Benjamin Sesko’s knee injury will rule him out of action for “a few weeks” but Manchester United’s head coach is hopeful the striker can return before he loses Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Sesko sustained the injury after coming on as a substitute in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham prior to the international break. Asked how long the 22-year-old will be out of action, Amorim said: “He’s going to stay a few weeks out. I don’t know how long, but he’s not that serious. We have to be careful with him. He’s going to recover, he’s feeling better. So in a few weeks, I expect to have Ben.”
Mbeumo, Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui will join up with Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Morocco, respectively, next month in preparation for Afcon, which starts in Morocco on 21 December. Mbeumo and Diallo have been used as forwards by Amorim this season, making Sesko’s return especially important.
“I don’t want to say for sure, but when they are going to the Afcon, I expect to have Ben back,” said Amorim. “We have the rules [regarding the release of players for international duty]; when we have to release the players, we’ll see. We are doing our job to try to maintain the players a little bit longer, but it’s not just in our hands. We need to respect that, but we’ll try to do everything to protect the club, protect the players and protect the national teams.”
Harry Maguire is not fit enough to face Everton in United’s next league game on Monday, having sustained a hamstring strain against Spurs, while Kobbie Mainoo will have a test on a minor knock on Saturday. Lisandro Martínez, meanwhile, is still recovering from a long-term knee injury. Amorim was asked if the centre-back might play as a defensive midfielder when he does return to action. “In an emergency he can play [there],” said the Portuguese.
Amorim also stated his belief that Luke Shaw can play as a left wing-back. “The load that a player does in that position is a bit different [but] he is more prepared to do that,” he said. “He is a smart player.”
