Benjamin Sesko has been mocked by a former Manchester United duo in a brutal swipe, but his Slovenia team-mate has jumped to his defence
Benjamin Sesko has received support from Slovenia team-mate Jaka Bijol after Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt cast doubt on the seriousness of the Manchester United striker’s injury. The forward was left out of the squad for Saturday’s clash with Fulham after reporting discomfort in his shin.
After the match, Reds boss Michael Carrick confirmed Sesko was dealing with the issue and would undergo further assessment. On Monday evening, United announced that Sesko had withdrawn from Slovenia’s squad for the upcoming international break.
A club statement confirmed: “Benjamin will undergo tests this week before defining his individual recovery plan.”
Despite that update, Scholes and Butt questioned the severity of the injury. The former United midfielders also criticised Carrick’s use of Matheus Cunha, arguing the Brazilian is less effective when deployed as a false nine, the position he played in against Fulham.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast, Scholes said: “If it isn’t broken, just wear your shin pads,” before Butt added: “You’re a player – you either break your shin or you play!”
However, Bijol was unimpressed by those remarks and responded: “I hope and believe that Beni knows how to distance himself from this kind of pressure. When things aren’t going your best on the pitch and you have certain doubts, reading things like this can make your confidence even worse.
“He shouldn’t pay too much attention to it, since we all know what quality he has. He himself knows what kind of footballer he is, and I think he always shows it with incredible things on the pitch.”
On Tuesday morning, Sesko released a statement on Instagram in Slovenian. Translated, the message read: “I am very sorry that I will have to miss the national team’s upcoming matches. I have always played for Slovenia – and always will – with heart and pride.
“Right now, the most important thing is to focus fully on my recovery. I am already working on getting back on the pitch as soon as possible to help both the national team and my club once again. I believe in our guys, and I am certain that this time, too, they will display the team spirit that has always defined us.
“I can’t wait to wear the national team jersey again; until then, I will be Slovenia’s biggest supporter. Go Slovenia.”
Sesko will have several weeks to recover ahead of the Premier League clash against Tottenham on October 10 (5:30pm), following the international break.
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