Benjamin Sesko is set for another spell on the sidelines after suffering a fresh shin injury, just weeks after returning from nearly four months out with a similar problem. Manchester United remain unclear on how long the £73million striker will be unavailable.
United could revert to surgery to try to correct the issue, but medical experts at the club are still assessing the best treatment option for the 23-year-old.
Recurring problem
Sesko was struggling with a shin problem towards the end of last season, missing the March international break as he played through the pain barrier before aggravating the issue against Liverpool at the start of May. He did not play at all in pre-season and only returned on the opening day of the campaign, missing three-and-a-half months of action.
He has started games against Sabah in the Champions League and Brighton in the Carabao Cup, but reported pain in his shin again after the second of those matches and is now set for another spell out.
Carrick on recovery
Head coach Michael Carrick said: "It's not the exact issue, it's a similar area, but it's not the exact same thing again. And we're kind of still working through it a little bit to see how long the issue will be. We're hoping that it'll be soon, obviously, but at this moment it's still not quite clear."
Asked if the club could consider surgery, Carrick added: "Yeah, there's different things to look at. I think he recovered really well actually from the initial one, and there was a lot of time, and sometimes things get thrown up, the body does certain things and we've got to react to that and try and get him back as quick as we can."
Baleba close to debut
While Sesko will miss the match against Tottenham, £70million midfielder Carlos Baleba could make his debut. He was on the bench against Fulham three weeks ago without getting on, but did get some minutes in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Lausanne-Sport just over a week ago.
"He's certainly getting closer, Carlos. It's been great to have him out on the grass and to see him up close really, and played a little bit in a training game that we had last week, so that was good for him to get some minutes," said Carrick. "I think the other side of it, a little bit, he has missed a lot, and he's missed crucial time in terms of, you know, the end of pre-season, and there's a little bit of patience there for him to get up to speed."
"That's up to us to kind of pick that right time for him as well, but he offers us a lot. You know, I've said it before, the midfield that we've got we're really happy with, and the selections and the options that we have, and he definitely adds to that."
