{"id":253127,"date":"2025-10-26T18:07:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T18:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/253127\/"},"modified":"2025-10-26T18:07:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T18:07:10","slug":"how-carlos-baleba-fared-during-man-utd-audition-after-receiving-challenge-from-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/253127\/","title":{"rendered":"How Carlos Baleba fared during Man Utd audition after receiving challenge from manager"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Carlos Baleba continues to be linked to Manchester United so there was plenty of interest in his performance at Old Trafford.<\/p>\n

Over the summer, Manchester United were ready to bid for Carlos Baleba<\/a> after Ineos identified him as the top midfield target, but a price tag of over \u00a3100 million meant the Red Devils walked away.<\/p>\n

But it has been reported that United could return for Baleba in 2026<\/a>. The 21-year-old was open to the move in the summer and that is not expected to change.<\/p>\n

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However, Baleba has struggled for form<\/a> this season, with Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler suggesting the transfer rumours have impacted his performances.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, there were plenty of eyes on Carlos Baleba\u2019s<\/a> performance during United\u2019s 4-2 win over Brighton<\/a> on Saturday evening.<\/p>\n

\"CarlosPhoto by OLI SCARFF\/AFP via Getty ImagesCarlos Baleba struggled against Manchester United<\/p>\n

If Ineos are going to revisit a deal for Baleba, it is important to know he can handle the pressure of playing at Old Trafford.<\/p>\n

Therefore, Saturday\u2019s clash was like an audition for Baleba<\/a> ahead of 2026. However, his performance left much to be desired.<\/p>\n

United pressed high against Brighton, and Baleba struggled to handle the pressure with several misplaced passes and lapses of attention in the opening phases.<\/p>\n

He was replaced on the hour mark by Hurzeler, and his stats from the display paint the picture of a struggling player.<\/p>\n

Carlos Baleba vs Man UnitedStatisticsMinutes played59Touches49Passes completed81% (34\/42)Duels won50% (1\/2)Possessions lost10Dribbles completed0Ball recoveries7<\/p>\n

As per SofaScore<\/a>, Baleba only won one duel during his time on the pitch, yet lost possession 10 times from midfield. <\/p>\n

Before the United match, Brighton boss Hurzeler sent a message to Baleba and challenged him to \u201covercome the noise\u201d, but it seemed to overwhelm the Cameroon midfielder on Saturday.<\/p>\n

As quoted by The Argus<\/a>, Hurzeler said: \u201cIt\u2019s also the next step for him as a person, for him as a personality, to overcome these rumours, to overcome this noise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ineos must make bold Carlos Baleba decision<\/p>\n

Signing a midfielder will be a top priority for Ineos in 2026, and Baleba will once again be on the club\u2019s shortlist.<\/p>\n

But a disappointing start to the season, paired with an underwhelming performance at Old Trafford, should make United\u2019s hierarchy think twice about splashing huge money on the young midfielder.<\/p>\n

Baleba has brilliant characteristics<\/a> that appear to suit Amorim\u2019s system on paper, but Ineos need to find a long-term replacement for Casemiro and it seems the Brighton star is still extremely raw.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Bryan Mbeumo explains what Man Utd will take from \u2018important\u2019 4-2 win over Brighton<\/a><\/p>\n

United have Baleba alternatives<\/a>, and if Brighton are still holding out for a huge transfer fee in 2026 then Ineos might have to make a bold decision and walk away.<\/p>\n

It is still in Baleba\u2019s hands to turn things around and make a positive impression, and that is exactly what Amorim and Ineos will be looking out for this season. As things stand, it seems a move to Old Trafford is slipping through his fingers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Carlos Baleba continues to be linked to Manchester United so there was plenty of interest in his performance…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":253128,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[49246,31481,403,99],"class_list":["post-253127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-carlos-baleba","tag-old-trafford","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253127\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/253128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}