Eleven days from the Old Trafford meeting with Tottenham, Carlos Baleba is closer than he has been at any point since arriving at Manchester United. The 22-year-old spent the international break with the club rather than with Cameroon, and the plan is that he emerges from it fit enough to feature.
Baleba joined United from Brighton on 25 August in a deal worth up to £70m (£65m guaranteed plus £5m in add-ons), and signed a five-year contract. He has not played a single competitive minute for his new club since.
The block has been an ankle ligament injury picked up in pre-season at Brighton, which followed him into his move and forced him to sit out United’s opening fixtures.
Carrick sets a one-week timeline
Michael Carrick, confirmed in the role permanently through 2028 earlier this month, has been the most bullish voice on the timeline.
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“He’ll be back in and around the group at some point over the next week or so, so that means after international, he should be in good shape,” Carrick told reporters.
“Carlos came here injured and he’s desperate to get out there, be part of the group and train fully with the boys.”
Carrick’s read on what the midfielder gives him tactically has not shifted since the summer.
“I’ve said before, obviously, he’s a quality player, that’s why we brought him, and he balances the dynamics of the midfield particularly well,” he said.
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Numbers behind the £70m
The recruitment logic behind the outlay is visible in Baleba’s Premier League numbers from last season at Brighton, when he played 31 league matches.
He ranked in the top 8 per cent of players for combined tackles and interceptions, and in the top 1 per cent for second balls won, according to Al Jazeera’s transfer report.
He is also one of only two central midfielders in the Premier League to have been clocked at 34 km/h.
Baleba himself has not sounded frustrated by the wait.
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“I’m very patient. I can be patient, no problem. I’m not someone who rushes or wants to rush things,” he said.
Debut window in view
United go into the international break sitting 12th in the Premier League with five points from five games, and Baleba was an unused substitute in the 1-1 draw at Fulham that closed out the pre-break run.
Carrick’s public pointer has been the Tottenham fixture on 10 October, which several outlets have identified as the target date for the debut. It sits inside the two-week window the head coach has flagged for a full return to group training.
Baleba was left out of Cameroon’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers this month so he could stay in Manchester and work through the recovery programme at Carrington.
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