Michael Carrick reveals exact date for Carlos Baleba’s debut: Brighton Press Conference | OneFootball

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Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has indicated a definitive time when Carlos Baleba will make his debut for the club.

Baleba debut

Baleba joined United in the summer from Brighton & Hove Albion in a deal worth £70million.

He has had to wait to turn out for the club courtesy of an ankle injury sustained during pre-season with his former employers.

But Carrick has indicated that the midfielder is poised to make his return to action after the upcoming international break.

Carrick spoke to reporters ahead of United’s third-round Carabao Cup clash against Brighton on Wednesday.

Asked if Baleba will be good to go next month, Carrick answered, “Yeah, he definitely will be. He’ll be back in and around the group at some point over the next week or so. So that means, after the internationals, he should be in good shape.”

“You know he’s came and, with being injured, then he’s desperate to get out there and be part of the group and training fully with the boys.”

“And I’ve said before, he’s obviously a quality player. It’s why we brought him here and he balances off the dynamics of the midfield particularly well.”

Injury latest

Carrick shared a triple fitness update on Luke Shaw, Amad and Matthijs de Ligt. Shaw has missed United’s last two games against Sabah FK and Manchester City.

Meanwhile, Amad and De Ligt are yet to feature this season.

Carrick said about Shaw, “He could possibly be fit for Brighton, but it’s not clear-cut. But it’s a matter of a few days rather than anything else.”

He added about Patrick Dorgu, who filled in for Shaw vs. City and endured a difficult game, “Pat played fantastically well the other night, and I thought he did a lot of good things [on Sunday], to be honest. That’s why we’ve got the squad, to fill in different things. Injuries aren’t ideal, but we’ve got to deal with them.”

The United boss added about Amad and De Ligt, “Amad, not quite close in terms of days, but we’ll see as the week progresses.”

“And Matta’s just working his way back, really, so because of the time frame and how it’s been, I don’t really want to put too much time frame on it.”

Fuel

Carrick stressed that his players will use the injustice suffered against Manchester City in the derby as fuel for the meeting with Brighton.

“It does give you something to use moving forward when something like that happens.”

“The players have got an edge. I think they’ve shown that to me since I’ve been here. We’ve had setbacks, and they’ve bounced back particularly well and had some really good performances and good results.”

“We’ve got to move on. We’ve still got to look at it for ourselves, and we’ve got to win games. We’ve won a lot of games, and we need to continue to do that.”

“I understand it’s a new season, and the points tally right now is not what we want it to be – I’m not hiding from that. It’s getting that winning feeling, getting the habit. It’s easier said than done, of course, but we’re capable of it.”

Carrick suggested that he may rotate the squad.

“Obviously, there are decisions that we have to make. It’s important for us to win football matches, and it’s important that we manage the squad as well and keep everyone up to speed; keep everyone ready and part of it. But we’re certainly going into Wednesday trying to win the game.”

United vs. Brighton kicks off at 8pm.