Manchester United have lacked a focal point in attack this season amid Benjamin Sesko’s prolonged struggles with a shin injury.
The Slovenian hitman arrived at the Theatre of Dreams with a huge reputation in the summer of 2025. While Sesko did not exactly live up to expectations, he enjoyed a decent debut campaign, finishing with 12 goals in all competitions.
However, the 23-year-old picked up a shin injury against Liverpool in the final weeks of the season and was sidelined over the summer. Sesko did return to full fitness in time for the beginning of the 2026/27 season, but his campaign has not gone according to plan.
Sesko’s season in a nutshell
Sesko began the new season with three consecutive appearances from the bench in the Premier League, with Michael Carrick building the player’s fitness after he missed the entire pre-season.
The Slovenian managed one goal in his first three games, against Everton in the 2-2 draw, and was subsequently named in the starting line-up against Sabah in the Champions League. Sesko found the back of the net against the Azerbaijani club, with the Red Devils winning the game 4-0.
The Slovenian was back on the bench in the 1-0 defeat to Manchester City, before returning to the starting XI in the 3-2 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion in the EFL Cup in mid-September. Unfortunately, Sesko has been sidelined ever since, and recent reports suggest that he is unlikely to be available until at least January.
With Joshua Zirkzee hardly featuring under Carrick and Bryan Mbeumo failing to impress in the No. 9 role, United have struggled this season and are 16th in the Premier League after eight games. Having scored a mere 10 goals in the league this season, the Red Devils remain linked with attacking reinforcements in the winter transfer window.
A recent report relayed by The Peoples Person suggests that they have identified Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin as an option for the job. It now appears that the English striker has already made a decision regarding his next move.
Calvert-Lewin wants Leeds United stay
According to The BBC, Calvert-Lewin is ready to commit his future at Elland Road. The report states: “England striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is set to sign a new contract at Leeds United.”
The report confirms that the update will be a huge blow for United ahead of January, adding: “The news will come as a blow to Manchester United, who are looking at bringing in a forward in January after Benjamin Sesko was ruled out for an extended period as he tries to recover from a shin injury.”
“The Old Trafford side had been linked with Calvert-Lewin and a potential transfer in the January window.”
| Season | Player ID | Player | Club | Minutes | Starts | Goals | Assists | xG | xA | xGI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | – | Dominic Calvert-Lewin | Leeds | 683 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 3.60 | 0.14 | 3.74 |
Final Thoughts
Calvert-Lewin has scored 75 goals and registered 17 assists in 282 appearances in the Premier League to date and could have been the perfect addition to United’s squad. Unfortunately, it appears that the Red Devils will have to look elsewhere to address their goalscoring conundrum.
The Peoples Person Reliability Assessment
Overall credibility: 8/10
Why?
✅ BBC is a top-tier source for Premier League news.
✅ Calvert-Lewin has been linked with Man United before
TPP view
We believe that Calvert-Lewin is likely to resist interest from Man United to sign a new deal with Leeds United.
Featured image by Michael Steele via Getty Images
Win a Mystery Football Shirt Box from Mystique Jerseys!
Just choose your size and leave the surprise to us.
Simply predict the score of the Chelsea game in the comments below 👇
Special offer: Get 10% off any Mystique Jerseys order! Use code UNITED10 at checkout.
Tell us which teams to avoid and you won't receive a shirt from those teams, guaranteed.
Open worldwide. If more than one person predicts the score correctly, the winner will be decided by a random draw. If you make more than one entry, only your last entry will count. No entries accepted after 12.30pm GMT on Saturday 30th October. The winner will need to provide their name, address, shirt size and any teams to avoid. The UNITED10 discount is exclusive to The Peoples Person and United World readers and is valid until 31 December 2026.
