Carlos Baleba: Manchester United's Delayed Signing Impact

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

Carlos Baleba, paraded this week as the latest piece of Manchester United’s rebuild, is already on the treatment table and unlikely to make his debut for around three weeks after arriving from Brighton with an ankle injury.

Big signing, delayed impact

The 22-year-old completed his move from Brighton on Tuesday, following Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans through the door as United reshaped the centre of the pitch. Director of football Jason Wilcox hailed Baleba as “an elite midfielder with immense potential to develop further,” a line that chimed with the excitement among supporters who see him as a long-term pillar of the side.

They will have to be patient.

Baleba reported with an ankle problem that had already kept him out of Brighton’s Conference League fixtures and their Premier League opener. That issue now rules him out of Sunday’s Premier League home game against promoted Ipswich and the matches immediately beyond it.

“He’s got a little ankle issue, so maybe a couple of weeks or so, maybe three weeks,” Michael 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 injury is a frustration, not a shock. United signed him knowing he would need a short spell of recovery before stepping into the side.

Race against the calendar

The timing sets up a clear target. Carrick’s estimate points towards a possible first appearance against Baleba’s former club Brighton, with United hosting Albion in the Carabao Cup before travelling to Fulham on September 20 – their final outing before the October international break and a home clash with Tottenham on October 10.

Asked whether Baleba and Amad Diallo might return before that three-week international pause, Carrick kept his options open.

“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 (Mason Mount) is back around the group, which was great. Trained this week, so that’s a big positive for us.”

So the picture is mixed: one major signing sidelined for now, another creative midfielder rejoining the group, and a talented winger still some distance away.

Carrick’s midfield puzzle

For Carrick, Baleba is not just another name on the squad list. He sees a player who can change the feel of his midfield.

“We’re delighted to have Carlos,” the United boss 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.”

United’s engine room has been under scrutiny for some time. The arrivals of Santos, Tielemans and now Baleba are designed to give Carrick the variety and control that often went missing last season. For now, though, he must search for that blend without his most expensive summer recruit.

Response required after nightmare start

The need for solutions is immediate. United opened their Premier League campaign with a flat 2-0 defeat at play-off winners Hull, a result that darkened the mood just as optimism around the new signings was beginning to build.

Marcus Rashford came on at half-time at Hull after being granted extra rest following the World Cup, with Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo also introduced from the bench. Carrick knows he has options; what he needs now is a coherent, winning formula.

“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.”

The message is clear: no excuses. Even without Baleba and Amad, this squad should not be starting seasons with “nightmare” attached to the opening weekend.

For United, the coming weeks will test both depth and resolve. By the time Carlos Baleba is finally ready to step onto the Old Trafford pitch, the question may not be what he can become in the future, but what kind of season he is walking into.