Man Utd Star Photoshopped Into 2025/26 Squad Photo as Unusual Detail Spotted

A Manchester United first-team player appears to have been photoshopped into the club’s 2025/26 squad photograph, but there’s an explanation for his absence.

On December 24, United posted a snap of both their women’s and men’s first-team squads on social media.

Fans were pleased to see the return of the tradition during the festive period, with the last published men’s team photo posted back in 2019/20, according to Man United.com.

Both squads were included, as well as men’s first team head coach Ruben Amorim and women’s first team head coach Marc Skinner.

At first, the photograph appears like any squad picture, but after a closer look, fans spotted a strange detail involving one of the men’s team players.

During several behind-the-scenes videos of the photo shoot posted to United's YouTube channel, it appeared that striker Benjamin Sesko was absent.

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Benjamin Sesko was not included in the behind-the-scenes footage of the shoot (Credit:ManUtd/YouTube)

However, he is still included in the squad photo thanks to what appears to be an edit made presumably using Photoshop, and is placed next to fellow forward Joshua Zirkzee.

49 players took part in the shoot while Celin Bizet Donnum was missing after recently announcing she is expecting her first child in 2026.

Fans also took to social media to highlight the bizarre edit.

One said: “Why was Benjamin Sesko photoshopped into this picture?

“Wasn’t he present for the Man Utd photo shoot?"

Another added: “By the way, one person was photoshopped into this picture, actually.”

While a third commented: “When did Amad, [Bryan] Mbeumo, and [Noussair] Mazraoui come back [from AFCON] for the shoot?”

But the club explained that Slovenian Sesko, who signed for United from RB Leipzig for an initial £66.3 million in the summer transfer window, was missing due to being “ill” on the day of the shoot - December 12 - and was later “added in the edit”.

Benjamin Sesko was photoshopped onto United's squad photograph (Credit:Getty)

And the 22-year-old will be hoping the second half of the 2025/26 campaign goes better than the first as he’s registered just two goals and one assist in 14 appearances for Amorim’s side, with Sesko’s last strike coming in the 2-0 home win against Sunderland on October 4.

Meanwhile, Mbeumo, Amad, and Mazraoui were still training at United on December 12, meaning they could take part in the shoot, but have since travelled to represent Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Morocco at the ongoing 2025/26 Africa Cup of Nations.

United return to Premier League action at home against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United on Boxing Day (December 26) before they host relegation-threatened Wolves on December 30.