Alejandro Balde's Struggles at Barcelona Amid United's Left-Back Crisis
Alejandro Balde’s name flashed around Old Trafford all summer. Now, as Manchester United head into another Champions League night with just one fit senior left-back, the Barcelona defender is watching European football from the bench.
And staying there.
Balde frozen out as Flick turns to Cancelo
Barcelona opened their Champions League campaign in style, smashing Feyenoord 5-1. It was the kind of night most young players crave: big stage, big scoreline, chance to impress.
Balde never got on the pitch.
Hansi Flick instead pushed former Manchester City right-back Joao Cancelo over to the left, leaving the 22-year-old as an unused substitute. It wasn’t a one-off. Since United tried to take Balde on loan late in the summer window, Flick has not used him in any competition.
Not a single minute.
Balde has been named on the bench for every game, but the pattern is clear. For now, he sits outside Flick’s core plans at the Camp Nou.
The German coach has already laid down his stance. He wants more from the Spain international. More drive. More edge. More fight for a place that, on paper, should suit Balde perfectly.
Before the end of the transfer window, Flick went as far as leaving him out of the match-day squad for Barcelona’s opening La Liga win over Elche. He then explained why.
“No, I'm not asking him to leave,” Flick said when quizzed on the defender’s situation. “This morning I felt there was something wrong. I spoke to him and said: ‘At this moment, I have this feeling, and I think it's best for you to clear your mind, sort out your thoughts, and then we'll talk again tomorrow.’
“And he agreed as well. He agreed to it because there are so many things going around in his head, and that's why he's not here.”
Balde has since been reintegrated into the squad. But not into the team. Flick keeps naming him, keeps overlooking him. For a player who was on United’s radar only weeks ago, it is a stark comedown.
United short at left-back as Shaw rests
On the other side of Europe, the situation at left-back is very different. Michael Carrick has just one senior specialist in that role: Luke Shaw.
Behind him, the options are all compromises. If Shaw suffers an injury, United would likely have to shift Lisandro Martinez out wide or flip one of Noussair Mazraoui or Diogo Dalot over to the left. All three can do a job there. None of them is an ideal solution.
Carrick might have to experiment sooner than he’d like.
Shaw missed United’s final training session before their Champions League clash with Sabah at Old Trafford. The plan, by the manager’s own admission, is to keep him fresh for this weekend’s Manchester Derby rather than risk him in midweek.
“We just gave him an extra recovery day today. We'll see by tomorrow how he is,” Carrick said when asked about Shaw’s absence. “It's not an ongoing thing or a plan or anything like that. It was just off the back of the game the other day. So, as normal, each individual has different little things that we manage.”
So United head into Europe managing minutes and juggling positions. Barcelona head into Europe with a natural left-back watching Cancelo take his place.
Balde’s future remains tangled in that gap: too valuable for Barcelona to push out the door, not trusted enough yet to reclaim his starting spot. With United still walking a tightrope at left-back, the question lingers over both clubs.
How long can it stay like this?
