Carlos Baleba's Injury Delays Manchester United Debut

Manchester United will have to wait to unveil their £70 million midfield centerpiece.

Carlos Baleba, signed from Brighton on Tuesday to cap a summer rebuild in the middle of the pitch, is set to miss around three weeks with an ankle injury, Michael Carrick has confirmed.

The 22-year-old arrived at Old Trafford as the latest part of a deliberate reshaping of United’s engine room, following the earlier arrivals of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans. The plan was clear: power, legs, and variety in midfield after a bruising campaign. The reality, for now, is frustration.

Baleba reported to United with an existing ankle problem, one that already kept him out of Brighton’s Conference League ties and their Premier League opener. It will also rule the Cameroon international out of Sunday’s Premier League home game against promoted Ipswich, and likely the fixtures that follow.

“He’s got a little ankle issue, so maybe a couple of weeks or so, maybe three weeks,” Carrick said. “We’ll see but we knew that before, so it’s no major issue but it’ll be great to have him back when we can.”

The club did not walk into this blind. United’s medical staff signed off on the deal knowing the short-term cost, betting that a brief delay is a small price to pay for a midfielder their director of football Jason Wilcox has already labelled “an elite midfielder with immense potential to develop further”.

Carrick shares that sense of anticipation.

“We’re delighted to have Carlos,” he said. “I think huge potential, massive potential. I think he’s a really exciting signing for us.

“I think the quality that he has, the attributes that he has that offsets a little bit of the balance of the group that we’ve got. Different strengths, different combinations.

“So, for us to have that, absolutely delighted to have him. I think there’s so much more to come from him as well, which with the player that he already is with that little bit more to come is exciting for us.”

The timeline Carrick outlined points towards a tantalising possibility: a debut against his former club. United face Brighton at Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup before travelling to Fulham on September 20, their final outing before Tottenham visit after the international break on October 10. Somewhere in that run, if the ankle settles as expected, Baleba should finally step into the midfield United have been building around him.

For now, though, the focus is on patching together a response to a dismal start.

Last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at play-off winners Hull cut through the early-season optimism and left United already chasing the pack. Carrick turned to Marcus Rashford at half-time after granting the forward extra rest following the World Cup, with Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo also coming off the bench as United searched in vain for a way back into the game.

The manager insists he still has enough options to change the mood quickly.

“We’ve got a squad to choose from. We’ve got a good squad and we could pick a variety kind of combinations within the team,” he said. “We’ll pick a team for the weekend but, yeah, certainly the boys are massively in contention.”

There is some good news on the fitness front. While Baleba and Amad Diallo work their way back, Mason Mount has rejoined training and is back around the group after his own lay-off. Amad, though, remains sidelined.

Asked if Baleba and Amad could feature before the looming three-week international break, Carrick refused to circle any dates.

“It’s obviously new, the break to deal with, but we’ll wait and see,” he said. “We’re hopeful but I don’t want to put any deadlines on it just yet.

“Amad won’t be involved this week. He’ll be out for a little bit longer. Mase is back around the group, which was great. Trained this week, so that’s a big positive for us.”

So United head into a crucial early stretch still waiting for their big-money midfielder, still trying to shake off the sting of Hull, and still leaning on familiar faces to steady the ship.

When Baleba finally walks out at Old Trafford, the expectation will be heavy. The question is simple: by the time he does, what kind of season will he be stepping into?