£70m Carlos Baleba faces selection test at Old Trafford after signing five-year deal
Carlos Baleba has signed a five-year contract with Manchester United and faces a selection test at Old Trafford this weekend after joining from Brighton for £70m. United have identified him for the holding midfield role Michael Carrick has struggled to fill since Casemiro's exit in May.
Baleba moved to United from Brighton on 25 August and the club knew he had an ankle injury when they bought him; they say he may have to wait until after the international break to make his debut. He was named on the bench for the 1-1 draw at Fulham on 20 September and played in a closed-doors match against Lausanne-Sports on 2 October. Brighton signed him from Lille in 2023 for £23.2m; Baleba made 112 appearances and scored four goals in three seasons with the Seagulls.
United's need for him is intensified by a poor start to the season: the club sits 12th in the Premier League after one win and five points from their opening five games. Brighton earlier came from 2-0 down at Old Trafford to eliminate United from the EFL Cup, and United travel to three away fixtures in succession after the Tottenham visit, with Champions League ties at Atletico Madrid and Como falling either side of a trip to Leeds.
A United insider offered an early playing assessment: "Very quick," and "He covers the ground really well." That view is formed on a limited sample — a handful of training sessions, the Fulham matchday squad appearance and the closed-doors game — but speed is seen as a trait that could affect midfield dynamics.
Carrick has recently paired Kobbie Mainoo and Youri Tielemans for their technical strengths, while Andrey Santos is noted as having the pace Baleba brings. United remain one of only four Premier League sides yet to keep a clean sheet and have conceded twice in four out of seven matches in all competitions, leaving defensive midfield performance an unresolved issue.
Sources describe Baleba's early shyness and nervousness as easing; he is not the most confident English speaker but has improved since his move to Brighton and has formed a friendship with Amad Diallo. Baleba appears comfortable around several teammates, having poked fun at Diallo in a video after Cameroon beat Ivory Coast in a friendly on 3 October and joked with Patrick Dorgu after the final game of last season at the Amex Stadium.
United's recruitment work that began 12 months ago led them to Baleba after missing out on Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes and deeming other options unsuitable; the club moved for him just before their opening-day defeat at Hull and completed the deal shortly afterwards. Brighton sources dismiss suggestions Baleba was distracted by late interest from United in the summer of 2025, and the club note they were being quoted significantly more than £100m for the midfielder in August 2025, making £70m acceptable business in their view; however, Baleba has yet to play for United and some contend early judgments should wait.
Baleba retains personal motivations and routines from his upbringing: he has said his father pushed him through punishing training when younger and recounted to the Guardian in April 2025 that he built a house in Douala as a promise to his mother, who died a few months before he left Lille. On personal tastes, he has described his favourite manga and the series' protagonist in his own words: "When he started out, everyone beat him up, he got covered in scars, then he became strong," Baleba explained. "After that, he was the one beating everyone up. He never gave up. I like that attitude."
His availability remains unclear given the known ankle issue; United say he may have to wait until after the international break to make his debut, with the club hosting rock-bottom Tottenham at Old Trafford this weekend before three consecutive away fixtures that include Champions League trips to Atletico Madrid and Como and a league visit to Leeds.
