Wayne Rooney says ‘sorry’ to £74m Man Utd star for ‘misjudging you’

Wayne Rooney has issued an apology to Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko for being critical of him last week before learning the extent of his injury.

Sesko aggravated a shin injury in May while playing for Man Utd against Liverpool.

The Slovenia international striker had initially suffered the injury in early spring.

Sesko missed the entire pre-season for Man Utd, and while the striker started against Sabah in the Champions League and against Brighton and Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup, he did not feature in the Premier League game against Fulham before the international break.

What Wayne Rooney said about Benjamin Sesko injury

Last week, Man Utd legend Rooney mocked Sesko and downplayed his shin injury.

The former England international star said on The United Stand: “What’s his injury? His shin? Has he broken it? You can hurt your shin, take tackles.

“I bet he’s wearing those little stupid shin pads as well or he’s got shin splints or whatever.

“If you’re at a football club like Manchester United and you’re trying to get in the team, play as the number nine and you’ve got a game before the international break which is a must-win game and you’ve got a sore shin… and you’re not playing.

“That’s a big part of the problem. You play when you’re injured unless you physically can’t play, you play when you’re injured.”

Rooney added: “I remember before games we’d have, you used to get injections and you used to have a doctor putting them in your arse.

“There would be a line of like five or six players stood there with their shorts down and the doctor is just injecting them, but to play.”

Former Man Utd midfielders Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, too, mocked Sesko for his shin injury.

Butt said on The Good, The Bad and The Football: “The back four is a massive problem, but for me the biggest problem is the number nine.

“How can Man United have one centre forward, who is injured, with what, a shin injury?”

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

Butt continued: “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.”

It has now emerged that Sesko has suffered a recurrence of the same shin issue and is not playing for Slovenia during the ongoing international break.

Man Utd are not sure for how long Sesko will be on the sidelines.

Wayne Rooney apologises to Benjamin Sesko

After being made aware that Sesko’s shin injury is serious, Rooney did not hesitate to issue an apology to the 23-year-old striker, who cost Man Utd £73.7million in transfer fees when they signed him from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2025.

Rooney said on the latest episode of The United Stand: “It’s long-term Sesko?

“Well, if it’s long-term, then I suppose I should apologise because…

“So, I apologise, Sesko. I apologise if I misjudged you. Sorry.”

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