Carlos Baleba appears to be Manchester United’s ‘final piece of the jigsaw’ this summer, as rumours of a transfer refuse to go away.
Having already parted with close to £200m this summer, Ineos could be forgiven for looking at more budget friendly options for the central midfield positions.
However, it is Manchester United’s biggest weakness right now with Ruben Amorim hinting at his desire for more midfield options, with athleticism expected to take a priority in the checklist a signing should have.
So over the past few weeks United have been heavily linked with Carlos Baleba, with the asking price expected to be north of £100m, a figure which the Cameroon international may very well be worth.
Despite his clear ability, Roy Keane isn’t convinced Baleba is worth £100m, arguing that the 21-year-old still hasn’t proved himself ready for this big of a move.
That being said, there is no avoiding that Baleba is absolutely perfect for Amorim and he could actually have a secret role in the 3-4-2-1 system that fits him perfectly.
Kobbie Mainoo chases Carlos Baleba during Manchester United vs Brighton.
Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images
Carlos Baleba could actually be a central centre-back option for Manchester United
When you picture Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system, it would be easy to assume that Baleba would slot into the midfield two, however this isn’t exactly a given.
Amorim’s system isn’t a typical three at the back, as he often expects his central centre-back to step into the midfield to provide an extra body who can dictate play and act as a defensive midfielder in ways to deny being counter attacked.
More United News
This is a role which Baleba could be uniquely suited for, as we have demonstrated how this might look out of possession below using the JLA tactics board tool.
Graphic showing Carlos Baleba as a centre-back out of possession using JLA Tactics Board.
Graphic showing Carlos Baleba as a centre-back out of possession using JLA Tactics Board.
Baleba has played as a centre-back for Brighton, on two occasions toward the back end of the 2024/25 campaign, and he impressed in the role.
In particular, against West Ham, Baleba was excellent at centre-back and he was arguably the player of the game with excellent passing and dominance in duels.
Where Amorim may like having Baleba in that centre centre-back role over a Matthijs de Ligt, is that the Cameroonian would more comfortably step into midfield when United are in possession, as shown below.
Graphic showing Carlos Baleba as a centre-back in possession using JLA Tactics Board.
Graphic showing Carlos Baleba as a centre-back in possession using JLA Tactics Board.
Here, Baleba would be able to cover large spaces in the midfield and would allow United’s two midfielders to be more forward thinking.
In this example, Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo, starting in the pivot, would be able to push closer to the number 10s, without the need to have more bodies back in expectation of the ball being lost thanks to Baleba’s excellent ball retention.
As the graphics show, the back five in defence can quickly become more of a back two, with Leny Yoro and either Lisandro Martinez or Ayden Heaven capable of covering the backline together thanks to their mobility.
So effectively, when in possession, it could see United almost in a 4-3-3 shape.
Carlos Baleba as central centre-back could bring the best out of Kobbie Mainoo
There is no guarantee that United will sign Baleba, or that if he arrives, Amorim is planning to use him here, however it might long term be the way forward.
Amorim’s reasoning for a back five is that he likes having an additional defender, however, this often leaves United short in midfield, placing unrealistic expectations on the likes of Fernandes and Mainoo to be ground covering monsters.
So with Baleba’s engine and athleticism capable of playing this role and pulling double duty, it could allow Mainoo to do what he does best which is focus on his on-ball ability.
This would also open the door for United to sign Adam Wharton in 2026, as has been suggested by the Independent long-term goal for Ineos.
In possession, Baleba behind Wharton and Mainoo ticks pretty much every box that a midfield needs and could set United up for the next decade.