Key Takeaways:
- Benjamin Sesko and Harry Maguire have both been ruled out of Manchester United’s fixture with Everton on Monday night
- Sesko is recovering from injury and could remain sidelined for several weeks, while Maguire is not fit for selection
- Kobbie Mainoo could return to training on Saturday and may be in contention to feature against Everton
Injury Update: Key Players Miss Out
Manchester United will be without Benjamin Sesko and Harry Maguire for their upcoming Premier League encounter with Everton on Monday night. The Slovenian forward, who arrived from RB Leipzig for £74 million over the summer, remains sidelined after being withdrawn from United’s dramatic draw with Tottenham prior to the international break. Sesko also sat out Slovenia’s recent international fixtures, which drew frustration from his national team boss.
🚨🚨| NEW: Kobbie Mainoo, Harry Maguire and Benjamin sesko were not spotted during the club’s live training footage this morning. [@StevenRailston] pic.twitter.com/St1iiHRDVr
— centredevils. (@centredevils) November 21, 2025
Manager Ruben Amorim confirmed during his pre-match press conference that Sesko was again absent from Friday’s training session and will not be available to face Everton. Amorim indicated that Sesko could remain out for several weeks, stating, “He is going to be a few weeks out,” before adding, “Not that serious, we have to be careful. He is feeling better.”
Squad Depth Tested Ahead of AFCON
Amorim was pressed on the timeline for Sesko’s recovery, particularly relating to the upcoming African Cup of Nations, which will also see Bryan Mbeumo depart for national team duties with Cameroon. Amorim explained, “It’s going to be more or less the same time – I don’t want to say for sure but when they are going to the camp I expect to have Ben back.”
Harry Maguire and young midfielder Kobbie Mainoo missed Friday’s training session at Carrington. While Maguire is confirmed to be unavailable for Monday, the outlook for Mainoo is more optimistic, with Amorim highlighting that Mainoo could participate in training on Saturday and may yet feature against Everton. Amorim commented, “Kobbie didn’t train today but I think we could see Kobbie tomorrow so we’ll see.” He acknowledged the opportunity for United’s under-21 players to step up in the absence of key squad members, saying, “There is an opportunity for other players like the under-21s. We will see it is not ideal. They are so important in our team.”
Implications for United’s Attack
Sesko has made 12 appearances for United to date, getting on the scoresheet twice and assisting once. With both Sesko and Mbeumo unavailable, Amorim could be forced to alter his attacking setup, potentially employing Matheus Cunha in a false nine position, supported by Amad Diallo and Mbeumo on the flanks.
Premier League Position and January Transfer Window
United currently hold seventh place in the Premier League, locked on 18 points along with four other clubs after sustaining a five-match unbeaten run. Amorim has previously acknowledged that United may need to be active in the January transfer window, particularly as Mbeumo is set to depart for AFCON duty. “Of course, we are going to have a problem there (AFCON), but we already knew that,” he said.
Amorim further elaborated, “We knew that we would have a lot of players who are not going to play because it’s one game a week, so we knew that trying to manage that situation was going to be hard. Let’s see when the window is open, if we can improve the team, and try to repair something that happened. Until then we have to take the chance. We’ll see.”
