Manchester United's Midfield Overhaul: The Impact of Carlos Baleba
Manchester United have ripped up their midfield and started again. More than £150million has gone into the engine room alone this summer. Yet one question still hangs over Old Trafford: have they finally found the balance they’ve been chasing for years?
Carlos Baleba is the latest piece of the puzzle. On Tuesday, the Cameroon international became United’s third midfield signing of the window, following Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans. His arrival is the boldest swing of the lot.
A £70m bet on potential and power
United have agreed a deal worth up to £70m with Brighton for Baleba, a far cry from the £100m-plus the Seagulls were demanding back in 2025 when his stock soared alongside Moises Caicedo’s mega move to Chelsea. That earlier price tag rested on his explosive 2024/25 campaign and the market shock Caicedo created. A flatter 2025/26 season has dragged the fee back down to earth and turned this into a calculated gamble rather than a straight superstar buy.
From United’s side, the logic is obvious. At his best, Baleba knits a midfield together. He can sit, destroy, carry, and still give you enough on the ball to operate in different systems. For a club that has lurched between profiles and partnerships in the middle of the pitch, that versatility is gold.
United’s recent attempts to secure a proper anchor have been messy. Casemiro arrived as a destroyer and ended his final season stepping higher and threatening in the final third. Manuel Ugarte brought aggression but came with his own limitations. The result: a midfield that too often looked open, disjointed, and easy to run through.
Baleba, at least on paper, attacks that problem head-on.
The numbers behind the reputation
In his breakout 2024/25 season at the Amex, Baleba completed 79 tackles in the league. That left him joint 25th in the Premier League, just behind Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes. It’s a respectable total, but it doesn’t quite capture why scouts and analysts were so enamoured.
The interceptions tell more of the story. According to Fotmob, Baleba ranked 14th in the league for interceptions per 90 minutes that season, averaging 1.6. Among United’s current squad, only Harry Maguire bettered that rate. He matched the 1.6 figure again last term, though his total interceptions dropped from 46 to 29, a reflection of reduced rhythm and a disrupted campaign rather than a change in profile.
Rio Ferdinand has long been on board. Speaking on YouTube, the Champions League winner raved about the midfielder’s physical and technical blend. “He brings that ability to get around the pitch, that physical prowess,” Ferdinand said. “I think his duels power is great, his press resistance… He can beat the press with the ball but his vertical ball progression with the ball especially… is an asset to this team now and he can do it with real pace. I think he complements every other one of those midfielders he’s coming into the team with. Whoever he plays with, he complements them.”
That word – complements – is exactly what United have been missing. Too often their midfielders have duplicated each other’s weaknesses, not strengths.
The dip, the distraction and AFCON
The obvious caveat is last season. Baleba was not the same force in 2025/26. Critics will not let that go, and they shouldn’t. A £70m outlay demands scrutiny.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, though, offered some context as the campaign unfolded. He suggested the intense and very public interest from United, and the “big, big offer” being discussed, might have seeped into the player’s head at the start of the season. For a 20-something still learning the demands of elite football, that kind of noise can be hard to shut out.
Hurzeler also pointed to something more human. Baleba is not a machine, he stressed. You cannot simply flick him on and expect the same output every week. The midfielder’s year was also broken up by the Africa Cup of Nations in December, a tournament that disrupted his momentum and his minutes. That won’t be a factor this time around.
Strip away the turbulence and there are still signs of reliability. Even in a “down” season, Baleba logged 1,662 league minutes. The year before, he had racked up 2,673. For a United side that has been burned by soft-tissue injuries and over-reliance on key players, that durability matters.
A new core with miles to make up
The context around his new teammates is just as important. Tielemans, Kobbie Mainoo and Santos all arrive at this season with relatively light workloads behind them.
Tielemans played 1,863 minutes for Aston Villa last term, his season split by two separate injury lay-offs. Mainoo finished on 1,654 league minutes after being eased in and then used more regularly following Michael Carrick’s appointment. Santos managed 1,255 league minutes at Chelsea, though he ended up playing more minutes than Mainoo across all competitions.
That can be spun two ways. United can claim they are building a midfield that is fresh, hungry and not yet ground down by 60-game seasons. The more cautious reading is that none of the trio has yet proved they can perform, week after week, under the strain of Premier League, Europe and domestic cups, all while learning new partnerships and patterns.
Baleba, if he stays fit, is supposed to be the constant. The one who plays every three days, absorbs pressure, and lets Carrick rotate the rest.
Patience required, expectation unavoidable
There is a twist. Baleba arrives injured. United fans eager to see their new enforcer from day one will have to wait. For a club that has often rushed players back and paid the price, that delay might not be the worst thing. It will, however, test the patience of a fanbase desperate to see this expensive rebuild actually function.
When he does step onto the Old Trafford pitch, the responsibility will be immediate. The fee, the narrative, the years of midfield chaos – it all funnels towards him.
Baleba himself sounds ready for the step. “I cannot wait to work with Michael Carrick; his experience and knowledge of the game make him the perfect coach to help me to reach the highest level,” he said after sealing the move.
United believe they’ve paid for the 2024/25 version of Baleba, not the more hesitant 2025/26 edition. The talent, the tackling, the interceptions, the carrying through pressure – it’s all there on tape. Now the question is brutally simple: was last season the blip, or the warning?
