Manchester United face a nervous wait on the fitness of Carlos Baleba after the midfielder suffered a hamstring injury during Tuesday night’s 3-2 Champions League comeback victory against Roma at Old Trafford, according to Yahoo Sports, according to utdreport.
Early Exit Against Roma
The 22-year-old pulled up clutching his right hamstring shortly after the half-time restart, dropping to the turf in pain before walking gingerly down the tunnel. Manager Michael Carrick consoled the midfielder on the touchline as his evening came to a premature halt in the 51st minute. Before his withdrawal, the Cameroonian international had partnered Kobbie Mainoo in the middle of the park, putting in an impressive shift that included winning seven of his eight duels, completing both of his dribble attempts and being fouled three times.
🚨 Carlos Baleba will be out with hamstring injury for a “number of weeks”, confirms Michael Carrick. “Unfortunately it won’t be over the international break. It will be longer than that”. pic.twitter.com/CBiCILDMdC
Michael Carrick offered a grim assessment of the situation when speaking to reporters after the final whistle.
Initially, it doesn’t look great. I haven’t got any timelines.
Michael Carrick, Manager
The Red Devils boss added: We’ll have to assess what that looks like but, initially, it doesn’t look great.
Carlos Baleba looks absolutely gutted after pulling his hamstring #mufc pic.twitter.com/W3HTjbCPE8
Manchester United had fallen two goals down inside the opening 18 minutes against AS Roma, leaving the team facing a massive mountain to climb on home turf. The scoreline remained 2-0 in favour of the visitors at the break before an inspired second-half fightback unfolded under the Old Trafford lights. Bruno Fernandes sparked the turnaround by successfully converting a penalty kick in the 58th minute. Matheus Cunha then drew the hosts level in the 83rd minute before striking again just three minutes later to snatch the lead, though the Brazilian was subsequently sent off during stoppage time.
The thrilling European victory provided a much-needed lift for manager Michael Carrick, who has faced severe pressure following a difficult start to the 2026-27 campaign. Domestically, the Red Devils sit 17th in the Premier League table with only seven points gathered from their opening nine matches. Meanwhile, their upcoming opponents on Sunday, Aston Villa, occupy 10th position in the division standings.
Another Injury Blow for Summer Signing
The setback is a cruel test for a £70 million summer acquisition from Brighton & Hove Albion whose start to life at Manchester United has already been heavily disrupted. Baleba arrived at the club nursing a pre-existing ankle ligament problem sustained during pre-season preparations with the Seagulls. That initial issue delayed his competitive debut until October 10 against Tottenham Hotspur.
Tuesday’s fixture marked just his fifth start and seventh appearance across all competitions for the club, totalling 397 minutes of action. Hailed as wonderful by the Match of the Day panel, there is a feeling he was starting to find his feet and has now been set back in that process.
Michael Carricl said that Carlos Baleba will be out with hamstring injury for a “number of weeks”: “Unfortunately it won’t be over the international break. It will be longer than that”.
United’s treatment room remains heavily populated alongside Baleba’s absence. Manuel Ugarte continues to recover from a serious knee injury sustained while representing Uruguay at the 2026 World Cup, leaving the midfielder sidelined for an extended duration. Marcus Rashford has missed the previous four fixtures due to a hip issue and will not be available against Aston Villa, with a prospective return targeted for November 22 against Liverpool. Left-back Luke Shaw also remains unavailable as he has not yet resumed training with the 20-time English champions, while Benjamin Sesko is sidelined with a recurrence of a shin injury initially picked up at the conclusion of the previous season. Lisandro Martinez is suspended for the weekend fixture following his red card during the defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League, and Patrick Dorgu is considered a minor doubt due to a hamstring problem picked up on international duty with Denmark, though he has returned to training.
Upcoming Fixtures and International Absence
Baleba is virtually guaranteed to miss Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Aston Villa at Old Trafford. He is expected to remain at the Carrington training base during the upcoming international break so medical staff can evaluate the damage further, ruling him out of international duty for Cameroon’s Africa Cup of Nations qualification double-header against Namibia.
ℹ️ The boss has a fresh update on the fitness of Carlos Baleba.
More on Michael Carrick
Baleba due to be out until December, at the earliest #mufc https://t.co/vFZYAH66Ww
Michael Carrick confirms severity of Carlos Baleba injury as Man Utd boss provides two updateshttps://t.co/nRmHhTcBO3
