Michael Carrick has confirmed that Benjamin Sesko missed Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with Fulham because of a flare-up of a shin injury.

The Slovenian saw his debut campaign at Old Trafford curtailed as a result of the issue, and it hindered his start to his second season at the club.

Now, the striker has suffered a setback, having initially recovered from the problem.

Carrick confirmed ahead of United’s trip to Craven Cottage that the forward was absent from his matchday squad because of a knock he had taken in the Carabao Cup defeat by Brighton and Hove Albion.

Post-match, the United boss revealed that it was in fact the same problematic shin that had kept the former RB Leipzig man out of the visit to the capital.

“It was a pain in his shin,” he said.

“We’re not sure with him yet. He felt a bit of pain after the game. We’re assessing him. He definitely wasn’t ready for today.”

United were fortunate to escape west London with a share of the spoils on Sunday, as Matheus Cunha’s deflected strike earned them a point to cancel out Lisandro Martinez’s own goal in the second half.

Carrick, who is feeling the heat after a winless run of four games, welcomed back Luke Shaw from injury at left-back after the England international’s spell out with a thigh problem, while summer signing Carlos Baleba was amongst the substitutes for the first time since his move from Brighton, having arrived at Old Trafford with a pre-existing ankle issue.