Carlos Baleba's Journey to Full Training at Manchester United
Carlos Baleba has spent his first weeks as a Manchester United player in the shadows of the training ground, not under the lights at Old Trafford. That wait, though, is nearly over.
Signed from Brighton & Hove Albion in a deal worth $94 million (£70 million), the Cameroon international arrived with an ankle injury that wiped out his entire preseason on the south coast. United knew they were buying a player who would need time before he could even lace up properly with his new teammates.
Now that timeline is finally starting to pay off.
Carrick’s Update: The Countdown Starts
After weeks of rehab and lonely conditioning sessions, Baleba is on the brink of joining full training.
“He’ll be back in and around the group at some point over the next week or so, so that means after [the] international [break], he should be in good shape,” Michael Carrick told reporters, offering the clearest indication yet of when Old Trafford might get its first real glimpse of the 22-year-old.
For now, the wait continues. Baleba will play no part in the Carabao Cup reunion against former club Brighton at Old Trafford in midweek. He will also miss the trip to Fulham on Sunday, Sept. 20, United’s final fixture before the club game pauses for the extended international window.
Cameroon have left him out of their squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Comoros and Republic of the Congo, a predictable call given his lack of minutes. That suits United just fine. Baleba will stay in Manchester, working, running, tackling air instead of opponents, building the base he needs to hit the ground hard when he finally gets the nod.
“He’s desperate to get out there, be part of the group and train fully with the boys,” Carrick said. The hunger is not in doubt. The ankle has been the only thing holding him back.
A Likely Debut Window
The first real opportunity arrives on Oct. 10, when Manchester United host Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in their first game after the international break. By then, if everything goes to plan, Baleba will have enjoyed roughly three weeks of full-intensity training, helped by an unusually long FIFA-sanctioned window that fuses the traditional September and October breaks into one extended pause.
Some national teams will cram in as many as four games during those two-and-a-half weeks. United will be doing something similar at Carrington with their record midfield investment, only behind closed doors.
The timing matters because what follows is brutal.
A Relentless Run
From Oct. 10 through to the next international break in November, United’s calendar turns unforgiving. Across that stretch, they are scheduled to play eight times, with a ninth match possible if they beat Brighton this week and continue in the Carabao Cup.
Their post-break schedule reads:
- Oct. 10, 2026 – Tottenham Hotspur (H), Premier League
- Oct. 13, 2026 – Atlético Madrid (A), Champions League
- Oct. 18, 2026 – Leeds United (A), Premier League
- Oct. 21, 2026 – Como (A), Champions League
- Oct. 25, 2026 – Bournemouth (H), Premier League
- Oct. 28, 2026 – potential Carabao Cup fixture
- Oct. 31, 2026 – Chelsea (A), Premier League
- Nov. 3, 2026 – Roma (H), Champions League
- Nov. 7, 2026 – Aston Villa (H), Premier League
That is the kind of run that exposes soft centres and thin midfields. It is also exactly the sort of period for which United signed Baleba.
The Missing Piece in Midfield
This summer’s rebuild in the middle of the pitch has been deliberate. Andrey Santos arrived to offer energy and versatility. Youri Tielemans came in to provide control and creativity on the ball. Baleba, though, was recruited to do something different: destroy.
United had chased him a year earlier, in 2025, but balked at a price that would have pushed him towards the rarefied bracket of Premier League midfielders to move for £100 million or more. Twelve months later, the landscape shifted. The fee dropped to a level the club deemed acceptable, and the deal was finally done.
“He’s obviously a quality player,” Carrick said this week. “It’s why we brought him here and he balances off the dynamics of the midfield particularly well.”
That word – balances – is the key. Baleba is expected to anchor United’s best XI in the biggest games, especially against sides that can punish any looseness in transition. His presence allows others to breathe: Tielemans higher up the pitch, Santos shuttling, the attacking players staying that bit braver.
Carrick may not lean on him quite as heavily against weaker opposition, where United expect to dominate the ball and face fewer counters. In those matches, he might gamble on extra creativity rather than extra protection.
But when Tottenham arrive, when Atlético Madrid press, when Chelsea swarm at Stamford Bridge – those are the nights when a £70 million holding midfielder earns his money.
Baleba’s debut is coming. The question now is not if, or even when. It is how quickly he can turn that long, frustrating spell in the gym into the kind of presence that changes the feel of Manchester United’s entire season.
