Michael Carrick Awaits Baleba's Return as Injury Delays £70 Million Signing
Michael Carrick will have to wait a little longer for his £70 million midfield wrecking ball.
Carlos Baleba, Manchester United’s big-money summer signing, is not expected to play again before the international break, extending a frustrating spell on the sidelines just as the season begins to bite.
Baleba ruled out of derby return
There had been quiet optimism around Carrington that the 22-year-old could target the Manchester derby for his comeback. That hope has gone.
According to Manchester Evening News journalist Tyrone Marshall, Baleba will miss the clash with Manchester City, Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie against former club Brighton, and next Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Fulham.
That schedule effectively rules him out until after the extended international break, with October pencilled in for his return. The focus now is on having him ready for the Premier League meeting with Tottenham at Old Trafford on 10 October.
For Carrick, it means another three games without the player signed to transform the heart of his team.
A big investment stuck in neutral
Baleba arrived last month as United’s third midfield recruit of the window and their fourth senior summer signing, following Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Karl Darlow.
His injury, suffered earlier in the summer, had led many to assume the deal would collapse. INEOS pushed on anyway, committing £70 million to a midfielder they had tracked for a year and who was desperate to make the move.
Santos and Tielemans both started on the opening day against Hull. Baleba watched and waited.
The wait goes on.
Carrick’s midfield conundrum
The absence of the Cameroonian has left Carrick working with a thin set of options in the engine room.
Right now, he leans heavily on a partnership of Kobbie Mainoo and Tielemans, with Santos the main alternative off the bench. On paper, it’s a technical, inventive pairing. On the pitch, it has also looked light.
Carrick has resisted the temptation to start Santos regularly as the out-and-out enforcer, preferring the control and passing range of Mainoo and Tielemans. That choice has come at a cost: United lack a midfielder who can dominate duels, burst through lines and carry the ball with power.
That, in essence, is why Baleba was brought in. He is supposed to be the missing piece in Carrick’s tactical puzzle, the one who knits together control and aggression, finesse and force.
For now, that idea remains theoretical.
A long-term bet, a short-term problem
United did not sign Baleba for a quick fix. He agreed a five-year deal, with the club viewing him as a potential mainstay for the next decade.
But the short-term reality is blunt. Until he is fit, Santos is the only natural midfield enforcer in the squad, and he is not Carrick’s first choice. Mainoo and Tielemans can paint pretty patterns, yet there is a clear need for someone to tilt the pitch through sheer pace and strength.
That is the role earmarked for Baleba. That is why his return matters so much.
Supporters are already talking about the prospect of a Mainoo–Baleba axis, a blend of poise and power that could define United’s next era. The question now is simple: when he finally steps onto the Old Trafford turf in October, will he be the catalyst this team has been built around, or just another promise delayed in a season that won’t wait?
