Benjamin Šeško and Mason Mount omitted from Manchester United squad for AC Milan friendly

Benjamin Šeško and Mason Mount were absent from Manchester United’s squad for the club’s final pre-season friendly against AC Milan, with lineups released on August 15, 2026 confirming their omission. Both players were sidelined for separate injury reasons ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

The match against AC Milan served as Manchester United’s final warm-up before the new season and the released lineups surprised supporters by excluding two established first-team names. Club officials have described both absences in injury terms rather than tactical decisions, and the pair’s statuses were tracked through pre-season reports.

Šeško has been managing a lingering shin problem sustained in a Premier League game against Liverpool in early May and aggravated afterwards, which caused him to miss United’s final three matches of the 2025-26 season. He carried his rehabilitation into the pre-season, returned to grass training and travelled with the squad to their camp in Ireland. Despite travelling, the AC Milan friendly came too early for him and he did not record any minutes in pre-season fixtures.

Mount had been a regular in Manchester United’s early pre-season matches and featured in a deeper playmaker role before suffering a foot injury 19 minutes into a friendly with Paris Saint-Germain on August 8, 2026. He was substituted and replaced by Tyler Fletcher in that match. Coach Michael Carrick said the change was precautionary because Mount "got kicked". Mount has missed his second successive match and there is no further update on his condition.

Šeško appears likely to miss the start of the Premier League 2026-27 season against Hull City next weekend, while Mount remains unavailable with no confirmed return date announced.