Carlos Baleba Wants to Start Against Fulham — But Should Carrick Really Play Him?
🚨 Carlos Baleba is pushing for a start against Fulham tomorrow.
The Manchester United midfielder has trained this week and could finally make his first appearance for the club after recovering from injury.
Michael Carrick has reportedly described Baleba as “desperate to get started”, with the midfielder showing plenty of enthusiasm and eagerness to get back on the pitch.
And honestly, I love that mentality.
A player who has just recovered from injury and is already pushing to represent Manchester United is exactly the kind of hunger supporters want to see.
But I don’t want Carrick to play him tomorrow.
Baleba’s Manchester United debut can wait
As exciting as it would be to finally see Baleba in a Manchester United shirt, there is no need to rush the midfielder.
He has only just returned from injury, and the priority should be making sure he is fully ready before throwing him straight into competitive action.
There is also another factor that concerns me: Cameroon.
If Baleba plays even one game for United, there is every possibility that he could receive a call-up for the upcoming international fixtures.
That could potentially disrupt his recovery and give him another demanding period of football shortly after returning from injury.
For me, that isn’t worth the risk.
If I’m Carrick, Baleba doesn’t play
If I were Michael Carrick, I wouldn’t start Baleba against Fulham.
In fact, I wouldn’t even put him on the bench.
Let him continue training, build his fitness properly and use the international break as another period to get him fully prepared.
Then, after the break, we can finally see the Baleba that Manchester United supporters have been waiting for.
There is no need to rush his debut just because the player is desperate to play.
That desperation is a positive thing.
But sometimes the best decision is to protect a player who wants to give everything.
The right debut matters more than an early debut
Nobody wants Baleba’s first Manchester United appearance to come too soon, followed by another setback.
United have waited for him.
A little more patience won’t hurt.
Let him recover properly. Let him train. Let him get his rhythm back.
Then give him the opportunity to make his Manchester United debut when he is truly ready.
Baleba’s hunger is exactly what we want to see. But Carrick must also protect him.
🩸🙏 No Baleba tomorrow. Let him recover properly and make his United debut after the international break.