Carrick has verified that the £70 million acquisition, Carlos Baleba, will miss approximately three weeks and cannot make his Manchester United debut due to an ankle injury.
The 22-year-old midfielder finalized his transfer from Brighton on Tuesday, joining the summer arrivals of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans to further strengthen the United midfield.
United’s director of football, Jason Wilcox, lauded Baleba as “an elite midfielder with immense potential to develop further,” though supporters will have to wait to see him in action.
The Cameroon international arrived at the club nursing an ankle issue, which has ruled him out of Sunday’s Premier League home match against promoted Ipswich and beyond.
“He’s dealing with a minor ankle issue, so it will likely be a couple of weeks, perhaps three,” Carrick stated.
Carrick confirmed Baleba is not ready to play yet (PA Wire)
“We’ll have to wait and see, but we knew about this beforehand. It is not a major concern, and it will be great to have him back when he returns,” Carrick noted.
When asked if Baleba and Amad Diallo could return before the three-week international break, the United manager responded: “It is obviously a new situation with the upcoming break to navigate, but we will wait and see.”
“We remain hopeful, but I do not want to impose any deadlines on his return just yet.”
“Amad Diallo will not be involved this week as he will be sidelined for a bit longer. However, Mase [Mason Mount] is back with the group, which is a huge positive. He trained this week, which is a great sign for us.”
Baleba’s injury had previously ruled him out of Brighton’s Conference League fixtures and their Premier League opener, and Carrick’s timeline suggests a potential debut against his former club.
United will host Albion in the Carabao Cup before traveling to Fulham on September 20, which serves as their final match before welcoming Tottenham following the international break on October 10.
Despite the setback, there is significant excitement regarding the impact the 22-year-old can make at Old Trafford.
“We are delighted to have Carlos,” Carrick stated. “He possesses huge, massive potential. He is a truly exciting signing for us.”
“I believe his quality and attributes provide a slight offset to the balance of the group we currently have, bringing different strengths and different combinations.”
“So, we are absolutely delighted to have him. I believe there is so much more to come from him; the quality he already possesses, combined with even further potential, is incredibly exciting for us.”
United are looking to bounce back after losing to Hull last weekend (PA Wire)
United are seeking a response after last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to play-off winners Hull marked a disastrous start to the season.
Marcus Rashford was introduced at half-time after being granted additional rest following the World Cup, alongside fellow substitutes Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo.
“We have a squad to choose from. We have a good squad, and we could pick a variety of different combinations within the team,” Carrick added.
“We will pick our team for the weekend, but certainly the boys are massively in contention.”