MANCHESTER UNITED are set to turn to their academy during the African Cup of Nations and to provide cover for any potential significant injury to Benjamin Sesko.
SunSport understands that the Red Devils will steer clear of any knee-jerk signings in the January transfer window and continue to prioritise reinforcing the midfield in the summer.
Sesko has been ruled out of international duty with Slovenia and will undergo further tests after limping off in the 88th minute of United’s hectic 2-2 draw at Tottenham.
While Sesko’s knee injury is not considered to be major at this point, United manager Ruben Amorim only has Joshua Zirkzee to call upon in the senior set-up.
Zirkzee, who Amorim does not view as a No9, was the only other striking option on the bench at Spurs and was an unused substitute, with Mason Mount preferred as an impact player.
The Dutch forward has not scored in the Premier League for nearly 12 months – a drought dating back to his two-goal performance in the 4-0 win over Everton last season. He has started just nine games since then.
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Zirkzee is set to push for a January move to improve his chances of making the Netherlands squad for the World Cup, but any long-term injury to Sesko would shut the door on an exit.
United are already set to lose top scorer Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo due to the AFCON, which starts on December 21 and runs until January 18.
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Noussair Mazraoui, who stood in at right wing-back for Amad at Spurs, will also head to the tournament, which is being staged in his homeland of Morocco.
That means space will open up on the bench for younger players to cover for the African players and Sesko’s potential injury.
Amorim can perhaps draw from the example of when Sir Alex Ferguson turned to his youth after selling a batch of stars including Paul Ince, Andrei Kanchelskis and Mark Hughes following consecutive Premier League titles.
Former Liverpool captain turned pundit Alan Hansen‘s now-immortal words “you can’t win anything with kids” emerged from a Match of the Day segment after the Red Devils lost their opening game of the 1995/96 season to Aston Villa.
He continued: “It will happen every time he plays the kids. He has to buy players. It’s as simple as that.”
But Ferguson stuck with his crop of players through the noise, leading the side once again to Prem glory while launching the careers of stars like Gary Neville, David Beckham, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes.
Among the frontrunners for a spell in the first-team is Chido Obi, the teenage striker signed from Arsenal in October 2024, who could be called up again after dropping down to develop in the Under-21s in the summer.
The 17-year-old made eight appearances under Amorim last season and was named the starting XI for the 4-3 defeat at Brentford in May.
Gabriele Biancheri, who made his debut for Wales‘ U21s in September, has established himself as a proven goalscorer at Carrington, but is likely behind Obi in the pecking order.
Shea Lacey is set to play a role in the second-half of the season after impressing for the U21s and growing closer to Amorim since returning from a series of injury problems.
Teenage midfielder Jack Fletcher, son of United legend Darren, was included in the matchday squad against Spurs to cover for Kobbie Mainoo’s minor knock.
Mainoo, 20, could request to leave on loan again in January after just 138 minutes of football, without a single Prem start.
His only full 90 minutes came in the dismal defeat at fourth-tier side Grimsby in the Carabao Cup.
But with numbers already scarce United will likely look to block Mainoo from leaving, although nothing is confirmed.
Mainoo could grab more opportunities next month if Bruno Fernandes resumes his role as one of the No10s alongside Mount, with Matheus Cunha leading the line.
Mainoo is competing with Fernandes in the midfield pivot alongside Casemiro, so pushing the United skipper higher up could open the door for the academy graduate.
The England international needs this chance, as he is running out of time to impress Thomas Tuchel before the World Cup next summer.
Sesko has started just six of United’s 11 games this season with Amorim often playing Cunha as a false nine against the big dogs in Liverpool and Spurs.
Sesko has scored just two goals since his £74million move, with Amorim sympathetic to the fact that it’s a new league for the 22-year-old who only played two seasons at RB Leipzig.
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Unlike the United of old, the current regime are not set to make any impulsive buys with the club playing just one match a week and having only the FA Cup to play for.
Instead, United will move forward with planning midfield reinforcements in the summer of 2025, with Elliot Anderson, Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton all linked.
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