Why Benjamin Sesko is not playing for Manchester United in Wrexham pre-season friendly today | OneFootball

Star striker will not feature in Helsinki this afternoon

Benjamin Sesko will not feature for Manchester United as they open their new season against Wrexham today.

The Red Devils take on the Championship side in Helsinki, Finland in a highly-anticipated pre-season friendly this afternoon.

It will be the first match that they play under Michael Carrick as their full-time manager, with the former midfielder taking the reins on a permanent basis after impressing in his second caretaker spell.

He took over from Ruben Amorim after the Portuguese’s sacking in January, and he led United to a first Champions League finish since 2023.

Manchester United's Benjamin Sesko celebrates scoring their side's second goal of the game during the Premier League match at Old Trafford, Manchester. Picture date: Sunday May 3, 2026.

Darlow and Tielemans, like Sesko, have also not travelled to Scandinavia, with Darlow undergoing a minor operation on an undisclosed injury, while Tielemans has been afforded extra time off after returning from the World Cup with Belgium, who reached the quarter-finals.

Sesko, meanwhile, did not play at this summer’s tournament with Slovenia, who didn’t qualify, but he misses this match through another fitness concern.

The striker missed the last three games of last season with a shin problem that flared up against Liverpool in early May, and he will play not part this afternoon as a result.

United insist that both he and Darlow will be fully fit for the start of the new campaign, as Carrick looks to build on a third-place finish while juggling Champions League football.