Carlos Baleba has played his first minutes for Manchester United. The midfielder, a reported £70m ($93m) signing from Brighton, took part in a Man United friendly behind closed doors against Lausanne-Sport at Carrington on Friday, alongside Harry Maguire and Matheus Cunha, according to ESPN.
Carlos Baleba’s Man United friendly: what we know
The Cameroon international has not played a competitive game since arriving in August. An ankle injury from pre-season at Brighton kept him out, and he sat on the bench for the 1-1 draw at Fulham before the international break without getting on, ESPN reported.
Yahoo Sports reported that United won the Lausanne game 2-1 and that Baleba started, alongside Matthijs de Ligt, who is recovering from back surgery. INEOS-owned Lausanne arrived at Carrington bottom of the Swiss Super League with one win from nine.
Carlos Baleba made his first appearance in a Manchester United shirt on 2 October 2026, a reported £70m signing from Brighton.
Michael Carrick told club media Baleba was “pushing to get back as quickly as possible.” The Lausanne game says he has got there. It does not say he is ready for Tottenham. One match against the Swiss league’s bottom side proves fitness, not sharpness, and Baleba’s debut should come from the bench at Old Trafford.
As secret friendlies go, this one lasted until Friday evening.
Man United injury news: the list Carrick must solve
Noussair Mazraoui was substituted in the 69th minute of Morocco’s 2-0 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier win over Lesotho, with Achraf Hakimi replacing him. United’s own website said he went off with “an apparent injury.”
Noussair Mazraoui was substituted with an apparent injury in the 69th minute of Morocco’s 2-0 win over Lesotho.
Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo both pulled out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad. David Ornstein of The Athletic reported Rashford’s hip problem has been managed since the World Cup, while Yahoo Sports reports neither player’s issue is thought to be serious.
Patrick Dorgu came back from Denmark duty with a hamstring injury, and Yahoo Sports reports Benjamin Sesko’s problem “doesn’t look good.” Amad Diallo and de Ligt were already sidelined before the break.
Bruno Fernandes is the one clear piece of good news. He had been a doubt for Portugal’s remaining games, then played 89 minutes against Denmark and finished with two assists and five key passes in a 4-2 win, per Sofascore and Yahoo Sports.
Bruno Fernandes registered two assists and five key passes in 89 minutes as Portugal beat Denmark 4-2.
What’s next for United
Tottenham Hotspur visit Old Trafford on 10 October. Carrick has seven days to find out which of Mazraoui, Dorgu, Sesko, Rashford and Mainoo can play.
Baleba, for the record, has played no competitive minutes for United.
