Carlos Baleba will miss several weeks with a thigh injury, and Manchester United now face the trip to Sporting CP without one of their most expensive midfield signings. Michael Carrick said the 76 million euro midfielder definitely will not be available this week or during the international break, and that the lay-off will take longer than that.

Baleba's setback against Roma

Baleba was forced off in the 51st minute against Roma, which is where the injury problem became immediate. The 3-2 win was United's first victory since the 4-0 home win against Sabah on 10 September, but it came with a fresh fitness problem attached.

Carrick's update leaves little room for optimism about the near term. Speaking to A Bola in comments translated from Portuguese, he said: "As for Carlos, we do not know exactly, but it will be several weeks. He definitely will not be available this week, nor during the break for international commitments. It will take a little longer than that."

Baleba has only been used in five recent outings before this setback, and his Premier League rating this season is 6.41. Those numbers do not tell the whole story on their own, but they do show how quickly his run of games has been interrupted.

More selection pressure for United

The Baleba absence arrives alongside more uncertainty in midfield and defence. Patrick Dorgu has already made five Premier League appearances this season, but Carrick said he trained only lightly this week after his thigh issue and that United will have to wait and see whether he is involved at the weekend.

Lisandro Martínez is also serving a suspension after the sending-off against Chelsea last weekend. United do not have the luxury of a clean injury list, and the Sporting trip now comes with another starting option missing before the squad has even travelled.

Carrick is not pretending the Roma result has solved anything. After that 3-2 win he said it was "just a moment in time" and that United still need more, which feels about right with Baleba out for several weeks and the next few fixtures already under pressure.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →