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The match in which Carlos Baleba is expected to make his Manchester United debut is drawing close.

Michael Carrick has indicated when Carlos Baleba is likely to make his first appearance for Manchester United, ahead of his side’s trip to Everton this weekend.

Manchester United have won one and lost one of their opening two Premier League matches this season, having beaten Ipswich Town 5-2 last Sunday.

Before that, another newly promoted side, Hull City, handed the Red Devils a 2-0 defeat on the opening day at the MKM Stadium.

Manchester United completed the signing of Baleba in late August in a £70 million deal from fellow Premier League club Brighton.

After losing experienced midfielder Casemiro in the summer, the Red Devils paid an initial £65 million, with a further £5 million in add-ons, to bring in the Cameroon international as his replacement.

Baleba made 31 appearances in the Premier League last season, clocking nearly 1700 minutes.

He won the ball back just over three times per game, averaged six duels won, and also registered one interception and one tackle per match for the Seagulls.

Before outlining the likely date of his debut, Carrick also gave updates on the fitness of Mason Mount and Luke Shaw.

Mount appears to have come through a positive week on the training ground, according to Ben Dinnery, while Shaw was photographed in training on Thursday alongside club captain Bruno Fernandes.

Baleba is now around 10-14 days away from making his debut for the Red Devils, with Carrick’s side also set to begin Champions League football in the coming weeks.

Looking at Manchester United’s fixture list, the Cameroon midfielder is most likely to make his first appearance in red against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

That Premier League fixture is scheduled for September 20. However, if Baleba is available around the middle of the timeframe given, he could instead come up against his former club in the Carabao Cup on September 16.

If that happens, it would be a strange sequence, with Baleba’s previous match having come against Manchester United and his next potentially being against Brighton.

The 22-year-old last played a competitive match against the Red Devils in Brighton’s 3-0 defeat, which came in the final game of the 2025/26 Premier League season.