Benjamin Sesko has declared himself free of the injury concerns that delayed his start to the season, insisting his shin problem is now completely resolved following his first start of the campaign.
The Slovenian striker returned to the lineup on Thursday and marked the occasion with a goal as Manchester United thrashed Sabah 4-0 in the Champions League. Sesko had been restricted to substitute appearances in United's previous three fixtures, with the club opting for a cautious approach after he missed a significant chunk of pre-season training due to the injury.
Speaking after the win, Sesko explained that the gradual reintroduction had been a deliberate strategy to prevent a recurrence of the problem rather than risk aggravating it by rushing back too soon.
"It was basically just to make sure that it doesn't get worse because this was kind of a problem," Sesko said. "We just need a little bit longer than usual, because if you start too early, it might appear again. And I think waiting a little bit longer was a great decision, and now it's healed, so it's perfect. It was shin."
The issue is not a new one for the 22-year-old, who also had his debut season at Old Trafford curtailed prematurely because of the same shin problem. Sesko attributed the recurrence partly to a knock he took and partly to pushing himself too hard physically.
"I got a kick last season, but it was also a little bit of an overload from myself," he said. "So basically, that was it."
Despite the fitness setbacks, Sesko managed to score 12 goals in his maiden season in England following his £66million transfer from RB Leipzig. He now says he feels far more settled and self-assured heading into his second year in Manchester, having had time to adapt to life in a new country.
"Way better, especially than last season," Sesko said of his current confidence levels. "I changed a country. Everything was new for me. Now for me it's like I'm really enjoying it. I'm really happy here. I love life here. I have teammates that are perfect. I can't really complain about anything."
Interestingly, United's interest in Sesko dates back much further than his eventual transfer suggests. The club first identified him as a potential target when he was just 16 years old, though he chose to continue developing elsewhere before making the move to Old Trafford years later.
Reflecting on that decision, Sesko said he felt it would have been premature to make such a dramatic leap in his career at that stage, and that he needed to build up his experience gradually before taking on a club of United's stature.
"It was just basically the moment that we decided because I think it was important," he said. "It would be a little bit too huge of a step for me to jump from, let's say, Austria or Slovenia directly to Manchester United. So I just needed those steps to get better and better and I'm finally here."
With his fitness now seemingly restored and his confidence growing, Sesko will be hoping to build on his opening goal of the campaign as United look to establish momentum in both domestic and European competitions.
Based on reporting from The Independent.