Gary Neville is hugely impressed with what he’s seen of Carlos Baleba over the last week.
The midfielder has now overseen his first three appearances for Manchester United since making a £70 million move from Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer.
Carlos Baleba is finally getting minutes under his belt
(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Baleba endured a delayed start to the campaign due to an ankle ligament injury that he sustained in pre-season with the Seagulls, meaning his debut only came on October 10 during the draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
His first start then came three days later against Atletico Madrid, which also marked his maiden appearance in the Champions League, and he was also deployed from the off at Elland Road yesterday.
CARLOS BALEBA 🥶😮💨 pic.twitter.com/C52H7GctAG
Unfortunately for the 22-year-old, he has yet to be on the winning side, with United drawing twice and losing once in their last outings.
However, he has done enough in his cameos to convince Neville he will play a vital role this term.
What Neville had to say about Baleba and how he fared vs Leeds United
(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Neville said of Baleba at full-time on Sunday (via the Sky Sports podcast) : “I know he had a difficult season last year at Brighton, but you watch him in his first couple of games or so for United, and he’s got something. He’s got a bit of strength about him; he’s got a presence.
“Him staying fit is going to be absolutely critical. I can understand why Michael Carrick took him off with 20 minutes to go [at Leeds], because he’s played [nearly] three games in a week.”
In Yorkshire, Baleba played 74 minutes and recorded an 88 per cent passing accuracy, according to FotMob.
He made three recoveries, one tackle, one clearance and one interception, and won three ground duels and one aerial duel.
Baleba’s heatmap vs Leeds (FotMob)
The Cameroonian also did his bit in attack by completing one successful dribble, four line-breaking passes and three passes into the final third.
Based on his display, you’d imagine he will retain his place in the starting XI for the trip to face Como on Wednesday, October 21 (5.45pm kick-off).
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