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Manchester United’s new £70m signing, Carlos Baleba, is set to miss the start of his Old Trafford career after suffering an ankle injury.
Manager Michael Carrick said the Cameroon midfielder could be sidelined for up to three weeks, meaning he may not make his United debut until October.
Baleba completed his £70m ($95m) move from Brighton to strengthen United’s midfield following the arrivals of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans.
“He’s got a little ankle issue, so maybe a couple of weeks or so, maybe three weeks. We’ll see but we knew that before, so it’s no major issue but it’ll be great to have him back when we can,” Carrick told reporters ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Ipswich.
The injury comes as United prepare to respond to their disappointing opening-day defeat, having lost 2-0 away to newly promoted Hull City last weekend.
Despite the setback, Carrick expressed confidence in Baleba’s ability to make a significant impact once he recovers.
“We’re delighted to have Carlos. I think (he has) huge potential, massive potential. I think he’s a really exciting signing for us,” he said.
“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.”
Baleba’s arrival is expected to give Carrick another physical and dynamic option in midfield as United seek to improve on last season’s campaign, when the manager guided the club to third place during his interim spell before being appointed permanently.
Carrick also confirmed that Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Lisandro Martinez could return to the starting line-up after beginning the defeat to Hull on the bench, while Amad Diallo remains unavailable through injury.
