Carrick confirms Baleba out for weeks with hamstring injury ahead of Villa clash

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has confirmed that Carlos Baleba faces several weeks on the sideline after sustaining a hamstring injury, ruling the midfielder out of this weekend’s Premier League fixture against Aston Villa.

Baleba was forced off in discomfort during United’s midweek match against AS Roma, and Carrick’s assessment on Friday offered little optimism about a swift return. “Carlos — we don’t know exactly, but it will be a number of weeks,” the United boss said. “It’s definitely not this week or over the international break; it will be a little bit longer than that.”

The injury adds to an already stretched squad, with Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw also currently sidelined. However, Carrick offered a cautiously positive update on Patrick Dorgu, who has returned to light training after his own hamstring trouble.

“Patrick has done a little bit of training this week, very small,” Carrick said. “We’ve got to be patient with that. He’s had a good period of time with a couple of hamstring [injuries], so we have to be careful. But he’s slowly getting back with us, so we’ll have to see whether he can be with us at the weekend or not.”

The double injury update leaves Carrick with limited midfield options heading into a demanding fixture against Aston Villa, with the international break offering little immediate relief given Baleba’s extended prognosis.