Wayne Rooney has backed new Manchester United signing Carlos Baleba to 'improve the team massively' after the midfielder's move from Brighton.
The 22-year-old Cameroon international has joined in a deal worth an initial £65 million, which could rise to £70m. He has signed a five-year contract, with an option for a further year.
Midfield overhaul
Baleba completes a significant overhaul of the Manchester United midfield following the departure of Casemiro at the end of last season. Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans have also arrived from Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively, with both starting in the 2-0 defeat to Hull City on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
Bruno Fernandes remains the club captain and a guaranteed starter, while Kobbie Mainoo came off the bench against Hull on Saturday.
Rooney's verdict
Speaking on Stick to United with Wayne Rooney, the former United forward said: 'I really like him, I think he's a really good signing. We need another midfield player with a bit of physicality and I know he's not six-foot-four or whatever. But he covers the ground really well, he's aggressive, he takes the ball, and is what we need. He's a very good player who will improve the team massively.'
Rooney also welcomed the increased competition for places, adding: 'It will be interesting with (Youri) Tielemans, (Andrey) Santos and (Kobbie) Mainoo, but this is what it should be. Competition for places. If you don't play well, you don't play.'
Yorke's doubts
Another Manchester United legend, Dwight Yorke, offered a different take on the arrival, saying he is confused by the signing. He believes the Red Devils should be spending money in other positions rather than draining their transfer budget on one area.
'Carlos Baleba to Man Utd? It's been a very weird transfer window. Man Utd seem to be concentrating a lot on the central area of the park, where we already have plenty of players,' Yorke told Reviant. 'Don't forget [Manuel] Ugarte, who is injured. We know Casemiro did a pretty good job toward the end of last season, thanks to his experience, but I'm not sure why we are concentrating on that position so much.
'The defensive areas of the pitch are the ones that stand out, and we haven't been able to address those. So, we've added another young player who is still unproven in Carlos Baleba. He showed good signs in the past, but from my understanding, we aren't signing him based on his recent form, but his form of a couple of seasons ago. I'm a bit confused by it myself, but I do believe we are focusing way too much on that central area rather than other aspects of the team.'
