On September 30 (CEST), The Athletic reported that Baleba was training at Carrington and following a customized recovery plan to fully regain his fitness.

While Manchester United players rested from team training last week, the midfielder joined some players not involved in international matches for individual sessions at the club's training facility. He was recovering from a right ankle injury that had sidelined him since the August transfer from Brighton.

At 22, Baleba's recovery proved faster than expected, allowing him to be included in the squad for the final fixture—a 1-1 draw with Fulham—before players returned to their international duties. His professionalism impressed the staff.

The midfielder has yet to play a minute this season, leading Cameroon to exclude him from the Africa Cup of Nations squad. However, he could feature in the upcoming clash against Lozano and Manchester United's youth side later this week.

While the ankle injury is not severe, Manchester United has been cautious with their biggest summer signing. The club acquired Baleba from Brighton for a fee potentially rising to £70 million ($93 million).

The arrivals of André Onana and Tielemans aimed to reinforce this position, and both have received playing time. However, Manchester United's poor start—just one win in the opening five Premier League games—has raised questions about the transfer strategy.

How well they've improved the midfield will only become clear once Baleba plays. Whether a defensive midfielder can solve all Manchester United's problems remains to be seen, but Baleba could prove to be their most impactful and significant summer signing. The club clearly lacked a defensive midfielder, and his addition aims to fill the void left by Casemiro's departure.

With Baleba unavailable, manager Michael Carrick paired Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo as the midfield duo instead of Santos. This combination featured in four Premier League matches without a true defensive midfielder.

While aging Casemiro no longer possesses the defensive prowess he showed at Real Madrid, he was instrumental in Carrick's team during the previous season, contributing significantly to the starting XI. In matches without the Brazilian, Manchester United won just once—the final fixture against Brighton in the 1-1 draw.

Across all competitions, United's record without him in seven matches stands at 1W-1D-5L, compared to 19W-10D-4L in matches with him. Since Casemiro's departure, the record across all competitions is 2W-2D-3L.

Now 34, Casemiro's wages are reportedly set to rise to £350,000 per week upon Manchester United's return to European football this season. Therefore, the decision not to activate his contract extension clause of 12 months may have been justified.

Removing his wages from the payroll also aided the squad rebuild this summer. However, restructuring the core formation is not straightforward, and it's too early to judge whether their recent performances are adequate.

By pairing Tielemans and Mainoo, Manchester United's defensive midfield became more vulnerable to penetration, particularly evident in the Fulham draw. Their penalty area defense remains solid—opponents had minimal touches inside it—but the midfield line became easier to breach, with Tielemans and Mainoo showing defensive deficiencies off the ball.

Fulham's Alex Iwobi exploited gaps behind Tielemans and Mainoo, occasionally cutting in easily from the wing. Could Casemiro cover for this? At his age, defending such a large area would be difficult, and while he cannot always prevent it, positioning deeper would narrow the gap between defense and midfield.

Is the space given to Tielemans and Mainoo due to tactical instructions? It's hard to say, but a midfield system typically requires a defensive midfielder to function effectively.

Santos started in both of Manchester United's opening fixtures—the Premier League opener against Hull City and the League Cup match against Brighton—losing both. The 22-year-old Brazilian's performance in those two matches wasn't poor, but the results didn't help his Manchester United career off to a good start.

Now everyone is watching to see how Baleba performs.

Cameron's national team midfielder is strong and intense off the ball, possessing both athleticism and combativeness. He delivered impressive performances during Brighton's impressive 2024-25 season, with his statistics and numbers prompting Manchester United to pursue him from the south coast club.

He made 46 successful tackles and 46 interceptions in the Premier League, ranking fifth among Premier League midfielders in interceptions. Additionally, Baleba won 199 duels in the top flight, placing him eighth among Premier League midfielders in this metric.

During the previous season, when Casemiro was in top form, he won a total of 188 duels, ranking seventh among league midfielders in this category. Manchester United's second-highest in this category, Bruno Fernandes, managed only 124, placing him 35th. This season, Mainoo has won 23 duels for Manchester United, trailing league leaders Anton Stach of Leeds United with 36 and Elliot Anderson of Manchester City with 34.

Baleba played 2,671 minutes in the 2024-25 season, demonstrating exceptional quality. However, in the following season, his playing time dropped significantly to 1,662 minutes due to poor form and minor injuries, which could affect his morale. His defensive statistics declined, though Manchester United viewed the previous season's performance as a minor dip.

Manchester United believes Baleba's interceptions and duel success rate are crucial in disrupting opponent attacks, and these qualities in a defensive midfield setup can also prevent opposing midfielders from delivering passes to strikers.

Yes, what he does in a match goes far beyond just defending teammates.

In the 2024-25 season, he carried the ball forward 6.7 times per 90 minutes, with 2.9 of those being long carries over 10 meters, ranking him fourth in the league for this metric. Manchester United has frequently struggled with quick counter-attacks after losing possession this season.

Baleba's passing pattern may seem conservative, but considering he'd partner with Mainoo or Tielemans, one of them would need to assume responsibility for breaking defensive lines during attacking build-up. Baleba's strength lies in quickly redirecting play from wide areas during attacking organization, which could help break down the defensive blocks that have troubled Manchester United this season.

In set pieces and free kicks, he cannot surpass Casemiro. Manchester United hasn't scored from penalties or free kicks this season and has weaknesses in set-piece defense, so the Brazilian's two-way contributions remain irreplaceable.

Baleba arrived at the club this summer and has spent time in individual training sessions working diligently on his fitness, largely out of public view. He has played alongside Leny Yoro at French club Lille and are close friends. He maintains good relations with teammate Bryan Mbeumo and has grown closer to Amad in recent weeks as both have been conducting recovery sessions together.

As Baleba has spent more time with teammates, his character traits have begun to emerge. The training ground sees him as energetic and positive, bringing good influence across the entire squad.

The club now expects him to deliver the quickest positive impact on the pitch. While one player alone cannot completely transform a difficult season, if he gets the nod against Spurs, he could significantly boost the team's morale.

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