Carlos Baleba sidelined for three weeks with ankle injury

Carlos Baleba will have to wait to pull on a Manchester United shirt, with Michael Carrick confirming the £70 million signing is sidelined for around three weeks with an ankle injury.

The 22-year-old completed his move from Brighton on Tuesday, joining Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans as part of United’s summer midfield overhaul. He arrived to a fanbase eager to see what a powerful, all-action presence could add to a team still smarting from a poor start.

They will have to be patient.

Carrick plays down concern over Baleba setback

Baleba reported for duty carrying an ankle problem that had already kept him out of Brighton’s Conference League games and their Premier League opener. The issue immediately rules him out of Sunday’s Premier League home match against promoted Ipswich and the fixtures that follow.

"He's got a little ankle issue, so maybe a couple of weeks or so, maybe three weeks," Carrick said. "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’s estimate points towards a possible debut against familiar faces. United host Albion in the Carabao Cup before travelling to Fulham on September 20, their final outing before Tottenham visit Old Trafford after the international break on October 10. Somewhere in that run, United hope to finally unleash their new midfielder.

Asked whether Baleba and Amad Diallo might return before the three-week international pause, Carrick refused to lock in a date.

"It's obviously new, the break to deal with, but we'll wait and see," he said. "We're hopeful but I don't want to put any deadlines on it just yet."

There was less optimism on Diallo. "Amad won't be involved this week. He'll be out for a little bit longer. Mase (Mason Mount) is back around the group, which was great. Trained this week, so that's a big positive for us."

“Huge potential, massive potential”

Inside the club, the excitement around Baleba is clear. United director of football Jason Wilcox has already labelled him "an elite midfielder with immense potential to develop further", and Carrick struck the same note.

"We're delighted to have Carlos," the United boss said. "I think huge potential, massive potential. I think he's a really exciting signing for us.

"I think the quality that he has, the attributes that he has that offsets a little bit of the balance of the group that we've got. Different strengths, different combinations.

"So, for us to have that, absolutely delighted to have him. I think there's so much more to come from him as well, which with the player that he already is with that little bit more to come is exciting for us."

For a midfield that has often looked one-paced and predictable, the promise of “different strengths” is no small thing. It just won’t arrive in time for the season’s opening weeks.

Response required after nightmare start

All of this plays out against a jittery backdrop. United opened their campaign with a 2-0 defeat at play-off winners Hull, a result that immediately piled pressure on Carrick’s side.

Marcus Rashford, given extra rest after the World Cup, came on at half-time at Hull alongside Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo as United chased a response that never truly came. That bench strength underlines the options at Carrick’s disposal, even without Baleba.

"We've got a squad to choose from. We've got a good squad and we could pick a variety kind of combinations within the team," he said. "We'll pick a team for the weekend but, yeah, certainly the boys are massively in contention."

For now, the new £70 million man can only watch. The question is simple: by the time Carlos Baleba is ready to step into Old Trafford’s midfield, what kind of situation will he be walking into?