Former Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand has spoken about Carlos Baleba after the £70 million summer signing suffered an injury during a comeback win against Roma in the Champions League.
It has been a difficult start to life at United for Baleba, who was ruled out of his first six matches after joining the club with an ankle injury. He only secured his first win in red after United completed one of their greatest comebacks, fighting back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat high-flying Roma.
For the duration of the comeback, however, Baleba had once again been sidelined, pulling up with a hamstring injury after a notable burst of pace into the opposition's box.
Despite being almost counterintuitive, Baleba’s injury was arguably a catalyst for United’s victory, with the Old Trafford faithful roaring into life as he made his darting run.
It was also the first time he had started alongside Kobbie Mainoo, with many fans desperate to see the pair play together more often.
Supporters may have to wait a while to see the two alongside each other again, however, with Michael Carrick delivering some bad news.
"I haven’t got any more news on Carlos at this stage but it’s his hamstring," Carrick said at his post-match press conference.
"We’ll have to assess what that looks like but, initially, it doesn’t look great.
"I thought Youri stepped into the game and showed what he’s about, his personality and character stepping into the team, he showed what he’s about.
"He’s a top human being, I love having him around for everything that he brings."
It goes from bad to worse for Manchester United.
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) November 3, 2026
Moments after halftime, Carlos Baleba was looking to sprint in on goal, but was unable to finish as he pulled up clutching his hamstring.
He's not going to be able to continue and the injury blow means Youri Tielemans will come… pic.twitter.com/NPLtcITnHv
Rio Ferdinand identifies the star to replace Baleba
Speaking on his podcast, Rio Ferdinand Presents, the former player reacted to Baleba’s injury and the player he believes will have to take control of the situation.
“Also, great to see [Youri] Tielemans back in. Let’s hope it continues.
“I thought he did well when he came on.”
Ferdinand then goes on to talk about Baleba’s injury, and how important the Belgian midfielder could be to this United side.
“You look at somebody like him, especially with Baleba being injured now, you want to make sure he goes on a little run and gets some form, gets some fitness, gets the level up, and becomes a part of [the team].
With Manchester United’s next fixture being a blockbuster battle against Aston Villa, it is likely that we will see Tielmans welcoming his former club to Old Trafford as both sides look to walk away with three points.
For Carrick and co, it will be a huge opportunity to show that the Roma match was not just papering over the cracks, and to prove a point towards fans just before the international break.
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