Benjamin Sesko has rejoined the Manchester United squad at their pre-season training camp but remains short of full fitness, with the striker unlikely to feature against Leeds at Croke Park on Wednesday.

The Manchester Evening News has reported that the 23-year-old is not expected to be involved in the Leeds friendly, though United believe there is a chance he could feature in the final pre-season game against AC Milan.

Back in the group, but not yet ready

Michael Carrick is currently running an intensive training camp in County Kildare, with the entire squad present bar Lisandro Martinez. Marcus Rashford, who last played for the club almost two years ago, has also rejoined the group, alongside injured pair Matthijs de Ligt and Sesko.

De Ligt took part in open training on Monday, while Sesko has not yet regained full fitness. United remain confident he will be fit in time for the season opener against Hull, while an earlier expectation that he would return before the Paris Saint-Germain friendly did not materialise.

Should he be involved against AC Milan, it would come against the manager who signed him for United but did not fully trust him. Ruben Amorim now takes charge of the Italian side.

A repeat of last summer’s problems

Sesko did not have a full pre-season last year either, and it affected his start under Amorim. He was on the bench for the opening three Premier League fixtures before making his debut in the Carabao Cup defeat to Grimsby Town, where he did not take a penalty in the shootout after citing cramp.

He managed just two goals in the first half of that campaign before improving under Carrick. The table below shows how his season ultimately shaped up.

Games Goals Assists Minutes 32 12 1 1,817

25/26 season stats

Sesko reportedly aggravated a shin injury during last season’s win over Liverpool. At the time it was felt to be a minor knock, but the issue has proved more persistent than initially expected, and United have offered little clarity on it since.

For a striker who needs rhythm and minutes to build on his second-half form, another disrupted pre-season is far from ideal. United will hope the Hull opener arrives with Sesko ready to contribute.

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