Picture of Carlos Baleba
Picture of Carlos Baleba
Manchester United midfielder Carlos Baleba earned his long-awaited debut on Saturday, 10 October, in the 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in the Premier League. The Red Devils signed the Cameroonian this summer from Brighton & Hove Albion after tracking him for more than a year.
United were keen to reinforce the midfield following Casemiro’s departure and initially courted Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes. Unfortunately, they missed out on both, ending up signing Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa.
Baleba’s arrival later in the window completed the midfield revamp and excited fans. However, the Cameroonian was sidelined at the beginning of the campaign after picking up a knock over the summer.
The 22-year-old finally made his first appearance for the Red Devils on Saturday, coming off the bench for the final 31 minutes. While he could not help United claim all three points, Baleba was quite impressive, already displaying attributes that will give the Old Trafford faithful reason for hope.
His efforts have now earned him praise from former United midfielder Quinton Fortune.
Fortune hails Baleba
Speaking to MUTV while on punditry duty, Fortune praised Baleba for his performance on Saturday, and said that he was eager to see more of the Cameroonian. Fortune said: “We saw his first touch! I’m excited to see what’s more to come from him, because if he’s like that now… I want to see him in full flow.”
“Obviously he needs more games, but the quality of touch, and his first pass in behind, I love that. To execute the pass and the weight of the pass, it shows the quality of the man.”
Baleba was also an unused substitute for the 1-1 draw against Fulham before the international break.
Baleba tipped to improve United
Speaking to Sky Sports, former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp insisted that Baleba would improve United’s midfield. He said: “In terms of how they played today, they have an issue with Tielemans and Mainoo in midfield; I do not see enough energy in there.”
“Baleba will add a lot and will give them a tremendous amount of energy.”
Baleba will now be pushing for a place in the starting XI for the upcoming Champions League game against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, 13 October.
Carlos Baleba Stats: 2025/26 Season
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Competition Appearances Starts Goals Assists Yellow cards Red cards Minutes played
Premier League 31 23 - - 5 - 1,662'
EFL Cup 3 2 - - 1 - 167'
FA Cup 1 1 - - 1 - 62'
Total: 35 26 - - 7 - 1,891'
Source: Transfermarkt.
Final Thoughts
Baleba’s first 30 minutes in a United shirt suggest that he could prove to be a difference-maker for the club this season. Carrick must allow the Cameroonian to get up to speed by affording him regular game time from now on.
Featured image by Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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