Manchester United's Carlos Baleba Ruled Out for Weeks Due to Injury
Manchester United’s season has taken another unwelcome twist, with Carlos Baleba facing several weeks on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury against Roma.
The £70m summer signing left the pitch in tears on Tuesday night, clutching his leg just seconds into the second half. The initial fear inside Old Trafford was obvious; the subsequent diagnosis has only deepened the concern.
“We don't know, but it will be a number of weeks,” manager Michael Carrick admitted. “It won't be after the international break [that Baleba returns]. It'll be a little bit longer than that.”
United are still waiting for full clarity on the extent of the damage, and there is genuine doubt over whether the 22-year-old will play again this calendar year. For a squad already walking a tightrope with injuries, it is a significant blow.
Key fixtures looming, questions mounting
Baleba was already ruled out of Sunday’s clash with Aston Villa, but the scale of his absence stretches well beyond the weekend.
He is now expected to miss the trip to Anfield to face Liverpool on 22 November, followed three days later by a crucial Champions League meeting with Sporting CP. Those are the kind of games United bought him for: high-tempo, high-stakes, where his energy and power in midfield were meant to tilt the balance.
Instead, Carrick must navigate a brutal schedule without him.
December offers no respite. United face seven matches in a packed month, including a visit to Arsenal on 20 December. Whether Baleba will be ready to return by then remains uncertain, and the club is bracing for the possibility that he may not feature again until the new year.
For a player whose United career has barely started, it is a cruel stop-start pattern. Baleba missed the beginning of the season with an ankle injury and has managed only five starts since his move from Brighton. Just as he seemed ready to build rhythm, the hamstring has snapped that momentum.
Carrick weighs Dorgu gamble
Carrick’s options are thinning, and attention now turns to who can step in.
One possibility is Patrick Dorgu, who has inched his way back towards contention after his own injury troubles. The manager struck a cautious note when asked if the youngster could be involved against Villa.
“Patrick's done a little bit of training this week,” Carrick said. “So we've got to be patient with Pat.
“He's had a good period of time now with a couple of hamstrings that we need to manage that and be patient with that over the next few weeks as well.
“But he's slowly getting back with us, so we'll have to see whether he can be involved at the weekend or not.”
It leaves Carrick juggling risk and necessity. Push Dorgu too soon and United could lose another option. Hold him back and the midfield burden falls even heavier on a core that already looks stretched.
Baleba was signed to be a pillar of this new United side, a long-term anchor in the centre of the pitch. For now, though, he watches from the treatment room, his absence looming large as the fixtures pile up and the season’s demands grow sharper.
