^ ^ Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt mock Man Utd star after latest injury setback

Scholes and Butt not happy with the situation up top (Picture: The Good, The Bad, and The Football)

Manchester United legends Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt are unconvinced by Benjamin Sesko’s latest injury setback.

Sesko, who joined the club from RB Leipzig for £74million in the summer of 2025, missed the entire pre-season due to a shin problem he initially suffered last season.

The striker picked up the injury after getting a kick to his shin in the spring, aggravating the injury after a heavy landing at Old Trafford in a victory over Liverpool in May.

While he started in the Champions League against Sabah and in the Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton, he was a substitute in United’s opening four games of the season before being left out of the squad completely on Sunday against Fulham.

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Sesko did not make the trip down the capital as United scraped a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage with Michael Carrick unable to give a clearer picture on the severity of the issue. The striker will undergo tests this week before the club decide on a treatment plan but his setback serves as another blow in what has been a disastrous start to the season.

United decided against signing another centre forward in the summer with Joshua Zirkzee, who has scored nine goals in 77 appearances, for the club, their only other option. On the latest episode of The Good, The Bad and The Football, former midfielder Butt lamented the decision not to reinforce the front line before focus switched to Sesko’s injury.

Scholes joked Sesko should ‘put his shinpads on’ with Butt insisting you ‘either break your shin or you play.’

Sesko has been dealing with the shin issue since last season (Picture: Getty Images)

‘The back four is a massive problem but for me the biggest problem is the no9. How can Man United have one centre forward? Who is injured, with what, a shin injury?’ Butt said.

Scholes said: ‘How do you injure your shin? Ain’t that a broken leg? Can’t you just put your shinpads on?’

Butt added: ‘You either break your shin, or you play. Put your shinpads on or you padding on, I don’t quite get it. Without knowing what it is, it is hard to discuss it.’

Their comments were part of a brutal assessment of the United squad which has collected just five points from their opening five games of the Premier League season, leaving them in 12^th place.

Sesko could face another spell on the sidelines (Picture: Getty)

With Sesko not starting, Carrick has used Matheus Cunha in a role through the middle with Butt blasting the lack of options available.

‘Paying Cunha as a nine kills him,’ Butt said. ‘He’s nowhere near the player he is off the side. We haven’t got a no9 other than Sesko other than Zirkzee, but he’s been going, staying, going, staying. And when he does come on, he doesn’t look anywhere near a Manchester United no9.

‘Midfield we have good footballers but can’t dominate a game. The back four look an average back four. The right-back, is he going to get you into the top two, top three? No. Harry is past his best. Martinez is a good footballer but he’s not a dominant centre back. We know with Luke he plays three or four games, gets an injury then he’s back in.’

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^ ^ Forgotten ex-Chelsea man told Lamine Camara to reject Blues transfer

Lamine Camara was on the cusp of joining Chelsea in the summer transfer window (Picture: Cerberus Sport/Shutterstock)

Former Chelsea midfielder Denis Zakaria says he encouraged Lamine Camara to reject a move to Stamford Bridge in the summer.

Camara emerged as Chelsea’s top midfield target as the transfer deadline approached, with the Blues scouring the market for a high-quality player to replace Enzo Fernandez.

The west London giants had already brought in ten first-team players across an active window, which began with the club smashing their transfer record to sign Morgan Rogers in a statement £117million deal.

But Xabi Alonso was ultimately left disappointed as Chelsea reached an agreement to sign Camara from Monaco, only for the French outfit to pull out of a deal for the 22-year-old at the eleventh hour.

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Camara would end up staying put in the principality for another season and the Senegal international has featured in all five of Monaco’s opening league matches, with the club sitting pretty at the top of Ligue 1.

He has also played every minute of Monaco’s first two Europa Conference League fixtures and found the net in their 3-2 victory over Gornik Zabrze.

After Monaco’s latest win over Lens, Zakaria – who enjoyed a largely forgettable loan spell at Chelsea – waxed lyrical about his ‘incredible’ Monaco team-mate.

The Monaco star is also attracting interest from Liverpool (Picture: Getty)

Zakaria spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Chelsea from Juventus (Picture: Getty)

‘Chelsea? I told him that it was good but that it is better here,’ Zakaria revealed in the mixed zone after the match.

‘I know the player and the person that he is; he is very professional.

‘I think that [the transfer saga] has given him even more strength. He was incredible today.’

Zakaria now shares a dressing room with Camara at Monaco (Credits: DeFodi Images/Shutterstock)

According to transfer reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, Chelsea have not given up hope of signing Camara and will be expected to return for the Senegalese when the January transfer window opens for business.

Chelsea are not alone with their interest, though, with Liverpool set to provide stiff competition in the race to land Camara.

Asked if the Blues will renew their interest in Camara this winter, Di Marzio told Rekatochklart.com: ‘I think so, yes because everything changed for Lamine Camara at the last minute.

Chelsea have not given up hope of signing Camara (Picture: Cegarra/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)

‘Chelsea needs a player in that position after Enzo left so I think that in January, they will try again.

‘Obviously it’s difficult to say right now if something will be arranged or not. Chelsea will be coming back again.’

On Liverpool’s interest, Di Marzio added: ‘That will depend on Alexis Mac Allister’s contract situation.

‘Because they’re not talking about a new contract so it’s possible that Liverpool can anticipate and try to get a player in that position before the summer.’

‘Chelsea will come back for Camara, and Liverpool is also there looking at him.’

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^ ^ Why Cole Palmer is set to withdraw from England squad, with Man Utd duo also doubts

England are set to be without Cole Palmer for their four upcoming fixtures (Picture: Getty)

Chelsea star Cole Palmer is expected to pull out of England’s squad for the side’s upcoming Nations League matches due to load management after suffering a ‘small injury’.

Palmer was named in Thomas Tuchel’s 27-man party for England’s clashes with Spain, the Czech Republic (playing twice) and Croatia on Friday, having been left out of the Three Lions’ World Cup squad in the summer.

The 24-year-old attacking midfielder went on to play the full 90 minutes of Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat to Brentford on Friday night – his seventh appearance of the season in all competitions for the Blues.

But according to The Athletic, it has been decided that it is best for Palmer to sit out England’s four fixtures over the course of an extended international break.

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The Telegraph’s Matt Law claims the Chelsea man has picked up a ‘small injury’.

Manchester United duo Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford could be set to follow suit due to doubts over their fitness.

Mainoo managed 80 minutes of the Red Devils’ 1-1 draw with Fulham on Sunday, before being replaced by Mason Mount at Craven Cottage.

Rashford and Mainoo could also pull out of the squad (Picture: Reuters)

Tuchel unveiled his 27-man squad on Friday (Picture: Getty)

Marcus Rashford was also substituted in the closing stages in the capital and Michael Carrick subsequently confirmed that the winger had to be withdrawn due to an unspecified ‘issue’.

‘We had to bring him off as he had a bit of an issue,’ the United head coach told beIN SPORTS.

Palmer had hoped to have put his fitness concerns behind him after a deeply frustrating 2025/26 campaign with Chelsea, which meant he started only 24 of the club’s 38 games across the top-flight campaign.

This term, a seemingly reinvigorated Palmer has racked up four goals and two assists for Chelsea under new manager Xabi Alonso.

Tuchel's initial 27-man England squad

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion), James Trafford (Leeds United)

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Trevoh Chalobah (Como), Marc Guéhi (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Ezri Konsa (Arsenal), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen)

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Alex Scott (AFC Bournemouth)

Forwards: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Morgan Rogers (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

Palmer was named England’s Men’s Player of the Year back in 2023/24 and came on to score his country’s only goal in the side’s Euro 2024 final defeat at the hands of Spain.

The former Manchester City man has been capped 14 times in total at international level, with his last appearance coming in the Three Lions’ 1-0 loss to Japan in March.

‘They had a good start to the season,’ Tuchel said of his decision to recall both Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

‘They never did something wrong. We just chose different players.

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‘So now it is a new competition. Some players, some positions, have more injuries. Some have less injuries.

‘Cole has his starts that he always had but he has his numbers back – he has his assists back, he has decisive goals back – so that is why he is in the squad.

‘I think he has a point to prove, and the same goes for Trent. He was never off the list. He was never non-selectable for us, and it is his chance to show, come to camp and be the best version of himself.’

Palmer scored in England’s Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain (Picture: Getty)

Alonso sent out a positive message surrounding Palmer’s fitness at the start of the season, suggesting the forward had come out the other side of a ‘difficult period’.

‘I think that sometimes you need to go through a difficult moment with an injury or whatever to learn from that,’ the Chelsea manager told reporters.

‘I think that Cole has gone through a difficult period with the injury, and now he’s working really hard to have the prevention not to have to feel those symptoms.’

England kick off their Nations League campaign against Spain at Wembley in five days’ time.

Harry Kane and Co then travel to Prague to take on the Czech Republic next Tuesday before locking horns with Croatia in Rijeka on October 3.

Tuchel’s men conclude the international break by returning to Wembley to play host to the Czech Republic on October 6.

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^ ^ Louis Saha names title favourites after Man City win and Arsenal lose

Manchester City are the ‘strongest’ team in the Premier League, says Louis Saha (Picture: Sky Sports)

Louis Saha believes the momentum may have shifted away from Arsenal in the Premier League, naming Manchester City as the ‘strongest’ team in this year’s title race.

City ensured they entered the international break with a three-point lead at the top of the table after emerging victorious in an eight-goal thriller at home to Sunderland on Sunday.

Brian Brobbey completed a stunning hat-trick at the Etihad but it was not enough for the visiting Black Cats, with an Antoine Semenyo brace and goals from Enzo Fernandez, Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland proving decisive.

A day earlier, Arsenal were on the receiving end of arguably the biggest upset of the season thus far as they stumbled to a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brighton.

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Pascal Gross and Charalampos Kostoulas were both on target for the Seagulls in the first half, before Chema Andres headed home to put the hosts out of sight on the hour-mark at a rapturous Amex Stadium.

The reigning champions will look to get back to winning ways when they return to top-flight action against Leeds in three weeks’ time, while City will hope to preserve their 100 per cent record on the road at Liverpool.

‘I think everyone can say that Arsenal had the best momentum even if they lost it towards the end [of last season],’ ex-Manchester United, Fulham and France striker Saha said when asked about the title race on Sky Sports.

Maresca’s City side hold a three-point lead at the top (Picture: Getty)

Arsenal dropped their first points of the campaign away to Brighton (Picture: Getty)

‘I think now City understood their mistakes, even if they still have young players coming through, they have this experience.

‘The combination of strength and creativity is enormous in midfield so I do think they are the strongest one.

‘On the bench as well because Jeremy Doku is coming back, it’s frightening.’

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After Arsenal were consigned to their opening loss of the campaign, a ‘disappointed’ Mikel Arteta accused his players of failing to ‘respect the game’.

‘A very disappointing result and performance,’ the Arsenal head coach told reporters.

‘Full credit to Brighton in the manner they performed and went about the game.

Arteta cut a frustrated figure on the touchline at the Amex Stadium (Picture: Sports Press Photo/Shutterstock)

‘They were another gear from us in the basics of the game. They were always first in the first duel, in the second actions, second balls, and they started to play from there.

‘On top of that, when we had the ball, especially in our own half, we were extremely poor technically, not respecting the game and the game principles you have to apply against a team that want to press you man to man.’

‘That never gives you the option to dominate and control the game in the manner you want.’

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The Spaniard added: ‘When we had big chances, we didn’t put them away.

‘We have to make sure we learn the lesson because this can’t happen again.’

Arsenal’s previous defeat in the Premier League came back in April when they were beaten 2-1 away to City, with Cherki and Haaland netting either side of Kai Havertz’s 18th-minute effort.

The Gunners did the double over their next opponents, Leeds, last season, scoring five unanswered goals on home soil before winning 4-0 at Elland Road.

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