Michael Carrick said Carlos Baleba has “a little ankle issue” and may need “a couple of weeks or so, three weeks”, which puts a first Manchester United appearance on hold. The £70million signing from Brighton suffered an ankle ligament injury in the pre-season friendly win over Strasbourg, and Carrick was clear that the midfielder is not an immediate option. Manchester United vs Ipswich now looks more realistic than a debut against Ipswich this weekend.
Carrick’s injury update
Carrick tried to keep the tone calm. “We knew that before. It’s no major issue. It’ll be great to have him back,” he said, before adding that “we’re hopeful” Baleba could return before the international break. That still leaves room for uncertainty, because the manager stopped short of promising anything concrete.
Baleba’s form at Brighton helps explain why United want him fit quickly. He averaged 7.12 across his last five Brighton outings and played 352 minutes across those matches. That is a decent amount of recent football for a player now missing the opening part of United’s season, so the setback is more about timing than match sharpness.
Other players in Carrick’s update
Amad Diallo is the immediate absentee. Carrick said, “Amad won’t be involved, he’ll be out for a little bit longer,” after the winger was left out of the travelling squad to Hull because of a minor injury sustained in training. Mason Mount offers the opposite read, with Carrick saying, “Mase is back around the group. He trained this week, so a real positive.”
Mount’s last five United appearances averaged 6.98, so his return to training matters for more than numbers on a team sheet. United also have Matthijs de Ligt training again after a long back injury layoff, while Manuel Ugarte remains a long-term absentee following surgery on a serious knee injury suffered on World Cup duty with Uruguay.
The short version is that United are still juggling absences rather than settling on a settled XI. Ipswich are up next at Old Trafford on Sunday, then comes a run of Everton, Manchester City and Fulham before the three-week international break and a home game with Tottenham on October 10.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
