Michael Carrick Awaits Carlos Baleba's Return to Manchester United
Michael Carrick will have to keep waiting for Carlos Baleba.
Manchester United’s £70 million midfield signing is not expected back until after the upcoming international break, extending a frustrating start to life at Old Trafford for the 22-year-old.
Baleba ruled out of derby and more
Baleba, United’s fourth and final senior signing of the summer after Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Karl Darlow, has yet to kick a ball competitively for the club after picking up an injury earlier in the summer.
While Santos and Tielemans were handed full debuts on the opening day against Hull, the Cameroonian has been stuck on the treatment table, his arrival overshadowed by the wait for his first appearance.
There had been quiet optimism that he might time his return for the Manchester Derby. That hope has gone.
According to Manchester Evening News journalist Tyrone Marshall, Baleba will not be available for the clash with Manchester City. The report also indicates he is set to miss Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie against former club Brighton and next Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Fulham.
The picture is clear: United do not expect him back until after the extended international break, with October pencilled in for his return. The target on the calendar is the Premier League showdown with Tottenham at Old Trafford on 10 October.
Carrick’s midfield puzzle
Baleba’s absence has left Carrick working with a thinner midfield core than planned in the opening weeks of the season.
Right now, the head coach leans heavily on a pairing of Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo, with Santos the primary option off the bench. It is a trio that offers guile, passing angles and control, but not the raw power United hoped to unleash when they pushed ahead with the Baleba deal despite his injury.
Many observers assumed the setback would cool INEOS’s interest. It did not. United still committed £70 million to a player they had tracked for a year, convinced he could anchor their midfield for the long term.
That conviction has created a short-term headache. With the Cameroonian international sidelined, Santos is the only true midfield enforcer in the squad, yet Carrick has chosen to leave the Brazilian out of his starting XI in favour of the more technical Mainoo–Tielemans combination.
The trade-off is obvious on the pitch. United can knit moves together and progress the ball, but they lack a physically dominant presence who can surge through lines, win duels and carry attacks with pace and strength. That is exactly why Baleba is viewed as the missing piece in Carrick’s tactical jigsaw.
The missing piece
United did not hand Baleba a five-year contract just to plug a gap. The plan is to build around him, to let his profile shape the way this side evolves over the next decade.
For now, though, his impact is theoretical. The team continues to feel that absence in big moments, especially against opponents who press aggressively or overpower the midfield.
Supporters know it. They are already looking beyond the international break, imagining a double pivot of Mainoo and Baleba, the blend of elegance and aggression that has been teased but not yet seen.
October will bring answers. Will Baleba finally step into the role United have carved out for him, or will this slow start become the first real test of the club’s latest midfield rebuild?
