It’s Impossible to Judge Manchester United’s Midfield Until Mainoo and Baleba Play Together

Manchester United’s start to the 2026/27 season has been disappointing.

All the talk of a title challenge before the campaign has quickly been replaced by uncertainty over Michael Carrick’s suitability as permanent head coach.

This is, of course, an overreaction to a couple of poor results, although there have been worrying patterns of play present in every single match the club have been involved in this season.

Even victories over Ipswich and Sabah contained some moments where the team looked sluggish and disjointed in attack.

INEOS’ technical department set out with a clear goal ahead of the summer transfer window: rebuild Manchester United’s midfield. Casemiro departed on a free transfer, and the plan was always to recruit three central midfielders.

If there had been an opportunity to sign a left-back, they would have investigated that too if the budget allowed.

In the end, Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba arrived, which on paper represents a fairly impressive rejuvenation of a problem area.

So far, it just hasn’t clicked, and we’re left wondering whether the current combination of players doesn’t quite have the complementary attributes to play together.

Tielemans Has Struggled to Understand His Role

One of the clear issues so far has been Youri Tielemans’ role. The Belgian international oozes class when he’s in possession, and has created some of the team’s better attacking moments this season.

However, he isn’t a defensive midfielder, and he doesn’t quite have the engine to cover the ground necessary when playing alongside Kobbie Mainoo.

Casemiro couldn’t cover that same ground any longer either, but Tielemans represents a clear technical upgrade on the Brazilian. The issue is balance.

It looks as if Tielemans was signed as an alternative to Mainoo. A similar style of footballer who can come in and play in matches where Mainoo needs a rest. United saw firsthand what happened when Mainoo was out last season, when they collapsed at home to Leeds United.

Alas, injuries have made it impossible for Michael Carrick to field a balanced midfield pairing.

Andrey Santos is more of a defensive midfielder, but he is still settling into life at Old Trafford. He hasn’t yet gotten up to speed, so starting him alongside either Mainoo or Tielemans could be considered a risk.

Carlos Baleba is the blue-chip talent within the summer’s recruitment. He has everything. He’s a naturally defensive-minded midfielder with the technical brilliance of an attacking midfielder.

He’s absolutely key to how Carrick’s United want to play. He is the player who will sit alongside Mainoo, cover the ground behind him and distribute the ball into the wide areas. That’s where the space is when teams play against United, because opponents generally don’t fear Diogo Dalot/Luke Shaw from an attacking perspective.

That’s an issue for another window, but you can’t judge United’s midfield until we’ve seen Baleba and Mainoo play together.

They are the two naturally complementary profiles that a football team needs in the middle of the park. You can’t get away from that.

Carrick has been forced to play different combinations so far, and it hasn’t worked.

Baleba was on the bench against Fulham and will be 100% ready to play after the international break.

Barring any unforeseen issues, Baleba and Mainoo will start together against Tottenham Hotspur. That’s the real starting point of United’s season.

They may already be out of the title race, but they can still be successful this term. From here, we can fairly judge the squad and Carrick himself.