Balde benched for every Barcelona game as Man United's failed loan bid fades from view

Alejandro Balde has yet to play a single minute for Barcelona this season, remaining an unused substitute in every match across all competitions after Manchester United’s failed attempt to sign him on loan in the summer transfer window.

Hansi Flick’s side opened their Champions League campaign with a 5-1 demolition of Feyenoord, but Balde — a natural left-back — watched from the bench as former Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo filled the position. The pattern has been consistent since United’s loan approach came to nothing: Balde has not been called upon in any capacity.

Flick has been candid about his concerns over the 22-year-old’s attitude. Before the close of the transfer window, the Barcelona manager had excluded Balde from the squad that beat Elche in their La Liga opener, explaining at the time: “This morning I felt there was something wrong. I spoke to him and said: ‘At this moment, I have this feeling, and I think it’s best for you to clear your mind, sort out your thoughts, and then we’ll talk again tomorrow.’ And he agreed as well. He agreed to it because there are so many things going around in his head.”

Flick subsequently reintegrated Balde into the matchday squad but has not brought him off the bench once, and more recently made clear the player will have to fight for his place.

The situation has a direct bearing on Manchester United, who head into their Champions League opener against Sabah FK at Old Trafford with a threadbare left-back position. Luke Shaw remains the only senior option in that role for interim manager Michael Carrick, and Shaw missed training ahead of the Sabah fixture. Carrick indicated the England international was being rested ahead of the Manchester Derby rather than managing an injury, but acknowledged the decision was made on a day-by-day basis.

“We just gave him an extra recovery day today,” Carrick said. “It’s not an ongoing thing or a plan or anything like that. It was just off the back of the game the other day.”

Should Shaw pick up an injury, United’s options are limited to deploying Lisandro Martinez out of position at left-back or shifting either Noussair Mazraoui or Diogo Dalot across from the right — none of which represent a natural solution. Balde, had the loan move materialised, would have addressed that vulnerability directly. For now, he remains sidelined at the Camp Nou while United’s left-back problem goes unsolved.