MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has stated that new signing Carlos Baleba is unlikely to be available for a few weeks due to an ankle injury. Baleba, who recently joined the club for £70 million ($95 million) from Brighton, missed preseason training and is expected to be sidelined until after the first international break, starting on September 21.
United are looking to recover from their recent 2-0 loss to Hull City as they prepare to face Ipswich on Sunday. Carrick confirmed that Baleba’s injury is not severe, saying, “He’s got a little ankle issue. Maybe a couple of weeks or so, maybe three weeks, we’ll see. It’s no major issue, but we knew he would be out.” He expressed enthusiasm for Baleba’s potential, calling him an exciting signing for the club.
Carrick also mentioned that he would avoid setting a specific timeline for the return of either Baleba or Amad Diallo, who also missed the trip to Hull and has not trained this week. “He [Amad] will be out for a little bit longer,” Carrick added.
In light of these injuries, Carrick may consider lineup changes against Ipswich, with players like Marcus Rashford, Lisandro Martínez, and Kobbie Mainoo all in contention to start. “We’ve got a good squad and a variety of combinations to choose from,” he noted, indicating they’ll finalize the team ahead of the weekend’s match.