Scholes cautious and Sheringham unconvinced as Baleba settles into £70m Man United move

Paul Scholes and Teddy Sheringham have both expressed reservations about Carlos Baleba’s prospects at Manchester United, with the former Brighton midfielder still finding his feet after completing a £65m move — rising to £70m with add-ons — from Brighton & Hove Albion in August.

Baleba, 22, was signed to help fill a midfield void left by Casemiro’s departure and Manuel Ugarte’s serious injury at the World Cup with Uruguay. He joined after Brighton accepted what United chiefs considered a knockdown price, completing a summer rebuild that also brought in Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa.

Scholes, speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast, offered a measured endorsement. “I don’t think it’s a guaranteed hit, but I don’t think he had a great season last year,” the former United midfielder said. “If the season before, then, yeah, on that form, yeah, I think he will be alright.”

Sheringham was less convinced. “I’m not sold on Carlos Baleba — we’ve not seen him play at a club with the pressure of Man United yet, so it’ll take six months or so before we can get a real idea,” the ex-striker said. He added that Baleba may need to be patient given Kobbie Mainoo’s presence in the side: “When that chance does come, they’ve got to grab it with both hands.”

The player’s integration has been further complicated by an ankle ligament injury, though the issue is not considered serious. He is not expected to be available in the immediate term.

United’s other summer midfield arrivals have had a mixed start to the season. Tielemans has shown improvement in recent fixtures against Ipswich Town and Everton after a difficult opening-day defeat at newly-promoted Hull City, while Santos has been restricted to substitute appearances, with Mainoo stepping in to impress.

United face Sabah in the Champions League on Thursday before Sunday’s Manchester derby, with manager Michael Carrick likely to consider rotating his midfield options across both fixtures.