Manchester United may have to wait until October to see £70m new signing Carlos Baleba make his debut after manager Michael Carrick confirmed that the midfielder is expected to spend up to three weeks on the sidelines with an ankle injury.
Baleba’s injury comes at an inconvenient time for United, who signed the Cameroon international from Brighton to add strength, energy and a different profile to a midfield that Carrick believes needed greater balance.
The 22-year-old was brought in for a reported £70m fee after impressing during his time at Brighton, where his physicality, ball-carrying ability and defensive work made him one of the Premier League’s highly rated young midfielders.
United had already strengthened the position with the arrivals of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, but Baleba’s signing was viewed as a major part of Carrick’s plans to reshape the midfield and provide more options in the centre of the pitch.
However, the club will now have to wait before seeing the Cameroon international contribute on the field.
“He’s got a little ankle issue, so maybe a couple of weeks or so, maybe three weeks,” Carrick told reporters ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Ipswich.
“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.”
Carrick remains confident in what Baleba can offer United once he recovers, describing the midfielder as a player with enormous potential.
“We’re delighted to have Carlos. I think huge potential, massive potential. I think he’s a really exciting signing for us,” the United manager said.
He added: “The quality that he has, the attributes that he has, offsets a little bit of the balance of the group that we’ve got. Different strengths, different combinations.”
Baleba’s absence nevertheless represents an early setback for United, particularly with the club hoping to respond quickly after a disappointing start to the new Premier League campaign.
Carrick, who was handed the United job on a permanent basis after guiding the club to third place during an interim spell last season, saw his side suffer a 2-0 defeat against newly promoted Hull last weekend.
The result has increased pressure on United to improve immediately, and Baleba’s delayed debut means Carrick will have to rely on his existing midfield options for the next few weeks.
The timing could also prove significant because Baleba may not return before the international break next month, potentially pushing his competitive debut into October.
Meanwhile, Carrick confirmed that Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Lisandro Martinez could return to the starting line-up against Ipswich after beginning the Hull defeat on the bench.
The trio missed much of pre-season because of their involvement in the latter stages of the World Cup.
Amad Diallo, however, remains unavailable due to injury, leaving United with another selection headache as they look to recover from their opening-day disappointment.
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