Injury-delayed Baleba set to make Manchester United debut after international break

Carlos Baleba is poised to make his Manchester United debut when Premier League action resumes after the September international break, with the £70 million signing from Brighton having rejoined full training and travelled with the squad for their 1-1 draw at Fulham.

The Cameroonian midfielder arrived at Old Trafford carrying an ankle ligament injury picked up during pre-season, which was serious enough to delay his first appearance despite not being considered a long-term concern. After returning to light training on grass in mid-September, Baleba progressed into full group sessions — a timeline that puts him in contention when United return to action.

United are in need of reinforcement in the engine room after collecting just five points from their opening five Premier League games, leaving them 12th in the table. The Fulham draw underlined the problem: United finished bottom of the running statistics, a reflection, at least in part, of a midfield pivot of Youri Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo that lacks the high-energy profile Baleba is expected to provide.

In the 2024/25 season at Brighton, Baleba established himself as one of the more dynamic midfielders in the division. He was among only two central midfielders to exceed 34 kilometres per hour that campaign, and his combined 92 tackles and interceptions placed him joint-sixth among top-flight central midfielders — numbers that suggest he can address the pressing deficit United have shown so far this season.

United had tried to sign Baleba the previous summer, but Brighton’s asking price made the deal unworkable at the time. His form dipped in the months that followed, with Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler acknowledging that speculation linking him to United had taken a toll. “For sure, when a young boy reads that there’s interest from Manchester United with a big, big offer, it might affect him deeply,” Hurzeler said.

A separate factor also contributed to the difficult period. Cameroon manager David Pagou revealed during the Africa Cup of Nations that Baleba had been dealing with personal issues. “Carlos had problems, family problems, and it was a question of his mental recovery,” Pagou told ESPN. “It wasn’t easy for him. As soon as we took the reins of the national side, we began this mental work with him. We gave him the keys to our midfield.”

Technical director Jason Wilcox described Baleba as “an elite midfielder with immense potential to develop further” when United confirmed the signing. Whether he can translate that potential into immediate impact — having had no competitive minutes yet and returning from injury — will be one of the more pressing questions of United’s early season.