Wayne Rooney Backs Carlos Baleba to Transform Manchester United’s Midfield
Wayne Rooney is convinced Carlos Baleba can transform Manchester United’s midfield and has dismissed suggestions the Brighton man downed tools after a move to Old Trafford collapsed last season.
Baleba is expected to join United from Brighton in a deal worth up to £70 million, which would make him the club’s third midfield signing of the summer after Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. Both of those arrivals went straight into the team on Saturday, starting a flat 2-0 defeat away to newly promoted Hull that underlined just how much work still needs doing in the middle of the pitch.
Rooney, speaking on the Stick to United with Wayne Rooney podcast on Disney+, made it clear he sees Baleba as a key part of that rebuild.
“I really like him, I think he's a really good signing,” United’s record scorer said. “We need another midfield player with a bit of physicality and I know he's not six-foot-four or whatever but he covers the ground really well, he's aggressive, he takes the ball, and is what we need. He's a very good player who will improve the team massively.”
United’s push to reshape their midfield has been forced into overdrive. Casemiro, so influential in his first season, has departed, while Manuel Ugarte has suffered a serious knee injury. The plan now is clear: add legs, aggression and depth.
Baleba ticks those boxes, even if last season did not go to plan.
The 22-year-old drew strong interest from United a year ago, only for Brighton to reportedly slap a £100m price tag on him. The move never materialised. His form dipped. He started only 23 Premier League games and failed to score, prompting claims that he had gone “missing” on the south coast after the transfer fell through.
Rooney rejects that narrative outright.
“I don't think he went missing,” he said. “The chance doesn't come around that often to play for Manchester United, so you don't know what effect that has.
“There's no denying his ability as a player. I think he is a top player.”
If the deal is completed, Baleba will walk into a far more crowded midfield than the one he nearly joined last year. Tielemans, Santos and Kobbie Mainoo are already jostling for starting roles, with Rooney relishing the battle that lies ahead.
“It will be interesting with Tielemans, Santos and Mainoo but this is what it should be. Competition for places. If you don't play well, you don't play.”
United’s hierarchy have clearly decided the answer to last season’s lethargy is volume and variety in midfield. Baleba, at 22, represents the energetic, front-foot profile they have been chasing. Now the question is simple: can he justify Rooney’s faith and the £70m outlay in a team that suddenly has no room for passengers?
