Manchester United’s woes have been further exacerbated by the latest injury update regarding Benjamin Šeško, who is set to be sidelined for the remainder of the calendar year.

The striker has been limited to just six appearances for the Red Devils this term, having missed the entirety of preseason through injury, with his absence proving costly for Michael Carrick as disastrous on-field performances threaten his position as manager.

To make matters even worse for the United boss, The Athletic have revealed that Šeško won’t return from his ongoing issue until January—by which point the 45-year-old could well have been fired.

The Slovenia international is said to have played the final two months of last season with the shin injury that continues to plague him, during which time he helped United qualify for the Champions League.

United decided against surgery for the 23-year-old over the summer, instead preferring to give him an extended rest to aid his recovery. However, the club has now accepted that an even longer recuperation period is required to avoid any recurrences of the issue further down the line.

From Bad to Worse for the Red Devils

When it rains, it pours.

Amid their ongoing crisis, which has involved mutiny, humiliation and supporter unrest, this was the last thing United needed ahead of an utterly critical period for Carrick and his players.

United have struggled in the final third throughout the opening two months of the season, almost exclusively fielding unorthodox center forwards to cover for Šeško. The club’s only other natural No. 9 is Joshua Zirkzee, who has endured a dismal few years in Manchester, which have yielded just 10 goals in 83 total outings.

Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Bruno Fernandes have all been selected as makeshift strikers ahead of the Dutchman, but none of the trio have excelled in the role. Carrick will now have to uncover a long-term solution to his growing issues up front, with failure to do so potentially costing him his job.

Despite going eight games without victory and suffering back-to-back thrashings at the hands of Como and Bournemouth, Carrick will remain in place for the upcoming Premier League clash at Chelsea on Saturday.

However, anything but three points at Stamford Bridge could mark the end of his United tenure, with a shortlist of possible replacements already being drawn up.