Manchester United fans are hoping Carlos Baleba can finally address the club's persistent midfield problems, with the £70million signing from Brighton poised to make his debut after recovering from an ankle injury.
The 22-year-old was signed despite the injury, which has delayed his first appearance for the club. His potential impact, particularly in defensive transitions, has grown in importance during his absence, with United's social media channels teasing a possible start in recent days. He featured in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Swiss side Lausanne Sport last Friday and should at least make an appearance off the bench this weekend.
Midfield struggles continue
This time last year, Manchester United were in mid-table and returned from the October international break needing a big win to get back on track after an early season loss to rivals Manchester City and a poor draw at Fulham. While the intervening 12 months saw Michael Carrick come in as manager, a good run of form that dragged the team to a third-place finish, and almost £150million spent on new midfielders, there is a distinct sense of deja vu at Old Trafford.
New signings Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos have so far failed to impress. Tielemans, partnering Kobbie Mainoo in recent games, has formed one of the slowest midfield pairings in the league. Santos, who went from being Chelsea's fourth-choice midfielder last season to the same position at United, started the opening game of the season where the midfield was outfought by Hull and has played just 16 minutes in the four league games since. The £50million spent on him has yet to yield results.
Long-term plans and upcoming fixtures
Long term, Baleba and Mainoo appear to be lined up as the future midfield partnership, with Bruno Fernandes backing up Marcus Rashford, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo in attack. However, consistency remains key, with last season's third-place finish attributed to the lack of European football and a settled starting lineup.
United's five league games before the next international break are against Spurs, away at Leeds, at home to Bournemouth, away to Chelsea and at home to Aston Villa, alongside Champions League ties. Baleba will need to hit the ground running, as these fixtures could prove challenging for Carrick's side.
