Manchester United looked at Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba in the summer transfer window.
Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba was on Manchester United's radar in the summer transfer window
Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba was on Manchester United's radar during the summer transfer window
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Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler has insisted talk surrounding Carlos Baleba and a transfer to Manchester United needs to end as the midfielder searches to regain his form. United looked at Baleba in the summer transfer window, but after being told Brighton's asking price was £100million the Reds agreed to delay their pursuit until next summer.
Since then, the Cameroonian has struggled for form and he did not impress during Brighton's visit to Old Trafford in October as United won 4-2. The 21-year-old was a topic of conversation in Hurzeler's press conference on Thursday morning after he was substituted at half-time in the 2-1 victory over Brentford. Brighton's manager insisted that talk of Baleba leaving for United must now end as he looks to get his season back on track.
"I think it is a constant thing that we try to do extra work with him," he said. "Every player we try to develop, no matter if he is playing or not, every player we try to get back to his full potential and that is what we try to do, step by step, without putting these kinds of players under pressure.
"Don’t put Carlos Baleba under pressure and say ‘you must play well’ because of course he wants to play well. It is about the small steps. It is about how he asks for the ball, the positioning he has when he receives the ball. How often he is switched on in trying to react when we lose the ball.
"These are all kinds of things he can influence and then we try to work with him. Sometimes you need to be patient. Sometimes you need to be more demanding, more ruthless with the players but, overall, you always need to create the right environment and the right supporters around him to give him the right help."
When asked specifically about the United rumours, Hurzeler added: "I think it has gone now. We are now four months into the season so we can’t speak about these rumours any more.
"It’s about being a Brighton player, it’s about performing well here and it is about getting him back to his best level. Avoid the noise, avoid all the rumours and focus on the things you can influence and the things you can do best and that’s football."