Manchester United have little margin for error, with five points from five Premier League games and only two wins in seven matches across all competitions, making for a genuinely troubling start to the season back at Old Trafford. This is not the campaign anyone at the club expected.
Defeats to Hull City and Manchester City have deepened the concern around Old Trafford, and the performance at Fulham before the international break did little to settle those nerves, even with Matheus Cunha’s late equaliser salvaging a point. Injuries are now a genuine concern too.
The Manchester United Baleba question sits at the heart of this week’s selection debate, with Michael Carrick needing answers fast. Tottenham visit Old Trafford on Saturday, before trips to Atletico Madrid and Como.
Baleba’s timeline points to a possible first chance after the break
Carlos Baleba was an unused substitute when United visited Fulham, yet his wait for a debut now looks close to ending. According to the MEN report, a debut after the international break was always considered far more likely than one before the two-week pause.
By next Saturday, Baleba will have had another couple of weeks of training with his new teammates, and he already has some minutes in his legs from a behind-closed-doors friendly against Lausanne-Sport at Carrington on Friday.
Baleba’s £70million transfer fee carries its own weight of expectation. The suggestion from Manchester Evening News is that he should be ready to start against Spurs once called upon. Baleba’s progress since the summer, covered in our Baleba debut update and the earlier debut timeline, has taken him from his first days at Carrington to this behind-closed-doors outing.
None of this guarantees an immediate impact. New signings often need time to adjust to a deep-lying role at a club searching for its best form, but the direction of travel looks positive for Baleba specifically.
The injury picture forces Carrick to manage options carefully
Benjamin Sesko’s latest shin injury has added another problem for Carrick to solve up front. Matheus Cunha has started every Premier League game so far as a false nine, a role born more of necessity than choice, and that is a lot to ask of any one player.
Every fit forward matters when fixtures come thick and fast this month, and Carrick simply cannot afford to lose more bodies before Saturday’s visit from Tottenham.
There is some better news elsewhere at least, since Amad has returned to training according to Manchester Evening News, although he did not feature against Lausanne-Sport on Friday. His return still gives Carrick another attacking option as the fixture list begins to pile up.
If more help is needed in midfield, Carrick does have options. He can turn to 19-year-old Shea Lacey, who was excellent against Brighton in the Carabao Cup. Last month, it was already clear how thin the squad had become, as set out in the injury and debut context, well before these latest injury setbacks arrived.
What the next week could mean for selection and debate
Saturday’s visit from Tottenham arrives at an awkward moment for United. Confidence is low, and options are thin. The trip to Atletico Madrid and the game at Como follow quickly after, leaving Michael Carrick little time to find answers before an already demanding schedule tightens further still.
The Manchester United Baleba debate will not go away, whatever happens against Spurs. A debut remains likely rather than certain. Carrick has shown no sign of rushing a big money signing into the side before he judges him ready.
Saturday should offer the first real answers.
