MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United boss Michael Carrick is not expecting to be able to pick new signing Carlos Baleba for “a couple of weeks” while he recovers from an ankle injury.
The midfielder was sidelined during preseason while at Brighton, before his £70 million ($95m) move to Old Trafford. United are looking to bounce back from their 2-0 defeat to Hull City when they take on Ipswich on Sunday.
Baleba will not be available and, according to Carrick, the Cameroon international is unlikely to feature before the first international break, which begins on Sept. 21.
“He’s got a little ankle issue,” Carrick told a news conference on Friday.
“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.
“It’ll be great to have him back when we can. We’re delighted with Carlos. I think huge potential, massive potential. I think it’s a really exciting signing for us.”
Carrick said that he wouldn’t put “deadlines” on a return for Baleba or Amad Diallo, who missed the trip to Hull. Amad hasn’t been able to train this week and will miss Ipswich’s visit to Old Trafford.
– Transfer rumors, news: Liverpool still eyeing Sarr after Barcola deal agreed
– Why Man City’s move for Allan Elias gets them a winger, midfielder and defender
– Wayne Rooney backs ‘top player’ Carlos Baleba to shine at Manchester United
“He [Amad] will be out for a little bit longer,” Carrick said.
The United head coach could look to make changes against Ipswich, with Marcus Rashford, Lisandro Martínez and Kobbie Mainoo all pushing to start.
“We’ve got a squad to choose from,” he added.
“We’ve got a good squad and we could pick a variety of combinations within the team. So we’ll pick a team for the weekend. But yeah, certainly the boys are massively in contention.”
