Manchester United have spent £155million on a new midfield trio, and the centre of the move is Carlos Baleba's £70million switch from Brighton this week. Michael Carrick says the balance is right, but the test is whether that investment can hold up with Mason Mount already carrying another setback and Manuel Ugarte set to miss most of the season.
The players and the price
United's summer rebuild has brought in Youri Tielemans, Carlos Baleba and Andrey Santos, with Tielemans aged 29 and Baleba and Santos both 22. The age spread is part of the appeal. United are buying a mix of experience and ceiling, not just one profile repeated three times.
Baleba is the headline fee at £70million, and his last Premier League appearance for Brighton drew a 7.2 rating. Brighton finished eighth on 53 points in 2025, so he is arriving from a team used to playing high-level league football rather than from a gamble at the edge of the table.
Mount's fitness problem
Mount has missed the last three weeks with a minor injury and is set to return to the squad against Ipswich. The broader issue is harder to wave away. Since joining United from Chelsea in 2023, he has had 11 separate injuries and missed 71 matches.
Carrick has still kept faith in him. "One hundred per cent Mason can have a big impact, no doubt," he said, and added that Mount is a "really top character" who should not be derailed by the latest knock.
That trust is reasonable, because Mount played 74 minutes in his most recent Premier League outing. But United are also building a midfield that has to work with players who will not always be available, and that is where the £155million spend will be judged.
United's last five Premier League matches have brought three wins, one draw and one loss, so the rebuild is being assessed while results still matter every week. Carrick wants different combinations and a strong unit. The next question is whether he can keep enough of it on the pitch at the same time.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
