Manchester United's £70m Baleba earns Roy Keane comparison but grew up idolising Pogba

Manchester United have completed the £70m signing of Carlos Baleba from Brighton, with senior figures inside the club’s recruitment department already drawing comparisons between the Cameroon international and club legend Roy Keane.

Christopher Vivell and head of senior scouting Kyle Macauley spent months monitoring Baleba’s development on the south coast, studying his performances in detail before recommending the move. The pair identified qualities in the 21-year-old that remind them of Keane at his peak — a rampaging, controlling presence in midfield capable of dictating games on his own.

Baleba is described as a bundle of pace, power and stamina, complemented by strong passing and dribbling ability, and an uncommon capacity to read the game’s engine room before play develops. United’s recruitment team view him as a player Michael Carrick can build his squad around.

The comparison to Keane will carry weight at Old Trafford, where the Irishman remains one of the club’s all-time greats and one of the finest midfielders of his generation. Whether Baleba welcomes the flattery is another matter — he has been open about his discomfort with being measured against others.

“Everyone talking about you, singing your name? That just doesn’t do it for me,” Baleba has said. “It’s not something that gets me running. I just prefer getting my head down and working on the pitch.”

The player who shaped his own footballing ambitions, however, is a familiar name at Old Trafford. Baleba grew up idolising Paul Pogba, another midfielder who carried the weight of enormous expectation at United. The parallel is not lost on those who follow the club closely.

Baleba’s personal goals are set high. He has spoken publicly about wanting to win the Ballon d’Or before his career ends, and frames his ambitions in terms of legacy as much as silverware.

“At the end of my career, I want to have an individual title, to play and mark a little bit of history like the great midfielders have done before,” he said. “And then win trophies, lots of trophies, with my club and my country.”

United will be hoping those ambitions align with a swift return to form at Old Trafford. At £70m, the expectation on Baleba to deliver on one of football’s most demanding stages is already considerable.