Benjamin Sesko’s shin injury is ‘not something anyone should be concerned about’ with the Manchester United striker hoping to be available against Sunderland this weekend.
The Slovenia international is approaching the end of his first season in England, scoring his 12th goal of the campaign in Sunday’s 3-2 victory over arch-rivals Liverpool.
Midway through the first-half, the striker was chasing a long ball towards the byline when he was shoved by Ibrahima Konate, taking a nasty spill down the notorious dip around the Old Trafford pitch. The 22-year-old crashed through a pitch-side microphone and into the advertising boards.
Sesko did not emerge for the second-half with Amad Diallo onto replace him with Kobbie Mainoo’s 77th minute strike eventually settling the contest.
Speaking after the game, Michael Carrick confirmed his striker had suffered ‘a bang on the shin’, aggravating a previous issue he had been carrying.
‘He’s been carrying a bit of a shin problem for some time, and it was when we got pushed into the hoarding and down the dip. So that was it,’ the United boss said.
Victory over Liverpool confirmed United’s place in next season’s Champions League with three games to spare but Carrick will want a strong finish to ensure he remains in the dugout next season, starting with a trip to the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
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Carrick will be expected to offer an update on his player when he speaks to the media on Friday afternoon.
While Sesko was left in some pain last weekend, it is unlikely to be an injury that keeps him out for long.
‘Shin problems can be generally one to three different things,’ Stephen Smith, CEO and founder of Kitman Labs which specialises in injury welfare and performance analytics, told Metro.
‘They are all relatively similar. It is less likely to be something like shin splints. In long distance runners, or athletes that have exposure to big running distances very frequently, there can be a build-up of small micro-trauma along the muscles at the front of the shin and that causes pain and some swelling and inflammation. It is unlikely to be that.
‘He had a good bang on the shin. Swelling occurs, bruising occurs, then every time you try to run, you are irritating it. From the bone perspective, if you got a kick on the front of the shin it can cause significant bone bruising.
‘The weight coming through your leg can cause a lot of irritation around that area. It is likely he had some trauma in that area recently, potentially some bone bruising and as it was healing, he has just got a bang in the same place [against Liverpool] that means it will require some management.
‘If it is trauma-related or bruising-related, it can be painful but it is not a serious injury, not something anyone should be really concerned about. It is just about pain management.
‘it is up to them to figure out if it is sore enough to the point where it is going to cause more inflammation and more discomfort. Or if the pain easing enough to get through a game. But they will be managing all that, it is a very manageable injury.’