When Carlos Baleba could make Manchester United debut revealed amid Amad Diallo injury update | OneFootball

Mason Mount back in training before Ipswich visit Old Trafford in Premier League

The Cameroon midfielder completed a £70million transfer from Brighton to Man Utd earlier this week, but arrived carrying an ankle ligament injury suffered in pre-season.

Baleba’s issue, sustained during the friendly win over Strasbourg at the start of the month, was expected to keep him sidelined for the first few weeks of the new Premier League campaign.

“He’s got a little ankle issue, so maybe a couple of weeks or so, maybe three weeks,” Manchester United boss Michael Carrick said of Baleba on Friday, ahead of Sunday’s visit of newly-promoted Ipswich to Old Trafford.

United travel to Everton next weekend after facing Ipswich, then host rivals Manchester City in the derby on September 13 before a trip to Fulham seven days’ later.

They return to action after an extended three-week international break at home to Tottenham on October 10.

New signing: Carlos Baleba has arrived at Manchester United from Brighton in a £70m transfer

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Asked if Baleba or fellow United injury absentee Amad Diallo would be available to play before that break, Carrick said: “It’s obviously new, the break to deal with, but we’ll wait and see.

“We’re hopeful but I don’t want to put any deadlines on it just yet.”

On United completing a move for long-time transfer target Baleba, he added: “We’re delighted to have Carlos. I think huge potential, massive potential. I think he’s a really exciting signing for us.

“I think the quality that he has, the attributes that he has that offsets a little bit of the balance of the group that we’ve got. Different strengths, different combinations.

“So, for us to have that, absolutely delighted to have him. I think there’s so much more to come from him as well, which with the player that he already is with that little bit more to come is exciting for us.”

Carrick also confirmed that Ivorian winger Amad would remain sidelined against Ipswich, though Mason Mount is in contention to return.

Amad was a surprise absentee for the shock 2-0 defeat at Championship play-off winners Hull on opening weekend due to an unspecified knock suffered in training ahead of the game.

Mount, meanwhile, has not played since limping off early during a pre-season friendly against Paris Saint-Germain in Sweden on August 8 with an ankle injury.

“Amad won’t be involved this week,” Carrick said in his pre-Ipswich press conference. “He’ll be out for a little bit longer. Mase (Mount) is back around the group, which was great. Trained this week, so that’s a big positive for us.”

Matthijs de Ligt won’t be involved against Ipswich as he continues to build up his fitness following a persistent back injury that belatedly required surgery and has kept him out since November, while Manuel Ugarte is a long-term absentee following surgery on a serious knee injury suffered on World Cup duty with Uruguay earlier this summer.