While United's attacking options look thin, there is positive news regarding summer signing Carlos Baleba. The £70m arrival from Brighton has been nursing an ankle injury and was an unused substitute at Craven Cottage, but he is finally closing in on a competitive debut.
"He’s certainly getting closer, Carlos," Carrick revealed. "It’s been great to have him out on the grass and to see him up close really. [He played a little bit in a training game](https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/carlos-baleba-man-utd-michael-carrick/bltb87caf1c70aabaac) that we had last week, so that was good for him to get some minutes."
Carrick cautioned against rushing the midfielder, though, adding: "I think the other side of it a little bit, he has missed a lot, and he’s missed crucial time in terms of, you know, the end of pre-season. There’s a little bit of patience there for him to get up to speed. That’s up to us to kind of pick that right time for him as well, but he offers us a lot. I’ve said it before, the midfield that we’ve got we’re really happy with and the selections and the options that we have, and he definitely adds to that."