Carlos Baleba will need to up three weeks to recover from an ankle injury which will delay his Manchester United debut.
The Cameroon international sealed his £65million move to Old Trafford last week and is expected to be unveiled ahead of Sunday’s match against Ipswich Town.
Baleba was the final piece of United’s midfield rebuild, joining Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans at the club as part of a £150million revamp in the middle of the park.
The 22-year-old however will have to wait a few more weeks before he can line up alongside his new teammates.
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Baleba returned for pre-season training with Brighton in July but picked up an ankle ligament injury that ruled him out of a friendly match against Strasbourg. He subsequently missed the Seagulls’ games against Roma and Bologna.
Michael Carrick confirmed on Friday his midfielder is still two to three weeks away from returning to action.
That timeline could see him return against Fulham on 20 September, but United could be tempted to hold him back until their next game following the international break against Tottenham on 10 October.
‘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,’ Carrick told a press conference on Friday.
‘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.’
Ipswich Town (H) – 30 AugustEverton (A) – 6 SeptemberChampions League matchday one – date TBCMan City (H) – 13 SeptemberCarabao Cup third round tie – date TBCFulham (A) – 20 September
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Including upcoming Carabao Cup and Champions League games, Baleba could miss six games in total for his new side.
United suffered another injury blow ahead of their season opener against Hull City last weekend with Amad Diallo left out of the squad.
It was later revealed the Ivorian had suffered an ankle injury in training with reports this week suggesting he could be sidelined for six weeks.
