Michael Carrick has outlined a cautious timeline for Carlos Baleba’s Manchester United debut, saying the new summer signing could be ready before the September international break despite an ankle problem.

United had been in the market for Baleba last summer, but Brighton’s £100 million valuation at the time made a deal unrealistic. The midfielder’s price later fell after a less consistent 2025-26 campaign on the south coast, allowing United to land a player they had tracked for some time.

For now, though, supporters will have to wait. Baleba will not be involved against Ipswich Town this weekend, with Carrick explaining that the Cameroon international arrived carrying an ankle issue that should keep him out for another couple of weeks.

“He’s got a little ankle issue,” Carrick told reporters. “So, maybe a couple of weeks or so [until he debuts], maybe three weeks, we’ll see. But we knew that before, so it’s no major issue. It’ll be great to have him back when we can.”

When asked whether Baleba could feature before the break, which begins on Sept. 21, Carrick kept the message measured. “It’s obviously new, you know, having the break to deal with. But we’ll wait and see. We’ll wait and see. We’re hopeful, but I don’t want to put any deadlines on it just yet.”

United’s opening league outing offered little encouragement. A trip to newly-promoted Hull City looked manageable on paper, but the performance was poor and ended in a 2-0 defeat at the MKM Stadium.

Santos and Tielemans, making their competitive debuts, both struggled before being replaced in the 67th minute. Baleba’s energy and defensive edge might have helped, but he will instead be introduced to the Old Trafford crowd when fit.

The broader concern is familiar enough for United. Second matches have often been problematic in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, and the club have not won their second Premier League game of a season since a 4-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion in 2020-21.

Liverpool are closing in on one of the summer’s most drawn-out deals, with Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola approaching a move to Anfield. The transfer is not yet complete, and complications could still appear, but the 23-year-old is already being viewed as a major attacking addition after two Champions League-winning seasons with PSG.

For Liverpool, the key issue is not whether Barcola can help, but where he should play. The France international has long looked most effective on the left, and that is where he is expected to operate if the move goes through. He has the pace, directness and final-third threat Liverpool have lacked since Luis Díaz departed, and there is a clear argument that he is the closest thing to Mohamed Salah’s long-term successor in spirit.

That does not mean he should be pushed into Salah’s old role on the right. Liverpool do not need to buy a player of Barcola’s calibre and then move him away from the zone that best suits him. Playing him out of position would only limit what he offers. Cody Gakpo, Rio Ngumoha and Victor Muñoz would all see their preferred minutes affected, but the priority must be getting the new signing into his strongest area.

Andoni Iraola will be expected to build around him. Barcola can stretch the pitch, take up advanced positions, and drift into half-spaces on the far side of the opposition right-back. He will also be asked to work hard without the ball, just as he did under Luis Enrique at PSG, but with possession he should have the freedom to create. With no natural right winger in the squad, Liverpool are likely to lean heavily to the left, especially with Wirtz also drifting that way.

The numbers support the excitement. In Ligue 1 last season, Barcola ranked third for combined expected goals and expected assists per 90, and 12th for successful dribbles and shots per match. Across all competitions, he delivered 21 goal involvements. Liverpool should resist any temptation to send him right. Doing so would blunt his best qualities.

Xabi Alonso wasted little time in making a point of authority at Chelsea, leaving Enzo Fernández out of the squad for the Carabao Cup meeting with Luton Town. Asked about the decision, Alonso was clear that it came from within the club as much as from himself.

“It was a decision from myself and from the club,” he said to the assembled media.

Chelsea still named several new faces, with Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers both starting, alongside Maxence Lacroix. Reece James wore the armband, Estêvão featured, and Danny Welbeck also appeared among the changes. Fernández, however, was absent entirely, not even making the bench.

Alonso expanded on the reasoning behind the omission, stressing that the choice was made with the team in mind. “We assess individually, collectively what’s the best for the team, for tonight, what was better, for other players that were playing and we take the decision,” he explained.

When the subject turned to Fernández’s response, Alonso was equally direct in his assessment. “He’s a good professional,” the former Real Madrid manager said. “He’s training well and I have nothing to say about him. It was just a decision that we had to take, thinking about the game that we’re playing tonight and we’ll see for Sunday.”

The situation around Fernández has been building for months. It began in March, when the Argentine openly entertained the idea of joining Real Madrid, comments that angered then-manager Liam Rosenior and led to an internal suspension. Although Fernández later returned because Chelsea needed him, the desire to move on has remained.

This time, the destination appears to be Manchester City rather than Real Madrid, after the latter distanced themselves with a statement of their own. Chelsea, for their part, set a firm price of £120 million before the start of the Premier League season last Friday, but no bid arrived.

Alonso’s early tenure was given a boost by Chelsea’s 3-2 win over rivals Fulham on Monday night, yet Fernández’s exclusion suggests the situation is far from settled.