Carlos Baleba sidelined for three weeks with ankle injury at Manchester United

Carlos Baleba will have to wait to pull on a Manchester United shirt, with Michael Carrick confirming the £70 million signing is sidelined for around three weeks with an ankle injury.

The 22-year-old midfielder completed his move from Brighton on Tuesday, joining fellow summer arrivals Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans in a rebuilt United engine room. Hype followed quickly. Minutes on the pitch will not.

Baleba arrived with an existing ankle problem, ruling the Cameroon international out of Sunday’s Premier League opener at Old Trafford against promoted Ipswich – and likely a couple of games beyond that.

"He's got a little ankle issue, so maybe a couple of weeks or so, maybe three weeks," Carrick said. "We'll see but we knew that before, so it's no major issue but it'll be great to have him back when we can."

United’s director of football Jason Wilcox has already labelled Baleba "an elite midfielder with immense potential to develop further", a line that only sharpened anticipation among supporters. For now, they will have to settle for clips and promise.

There is at least a tentative target on the horizon. Baleba’s injury kept him out of Brighton’s Conference League fixtures and their Premier League opener, but Carrick’s timeframe points towards a possible United debut in a meeting with his former club. United host Albion in the Carabao Cup before travelling to Fulham on September 20, their last outing before Tottenham visit Old Trafford after the international break on October 10.

Carrick was asked whether Baleba and Amad Diallo might feature again before that three-week international pause. He refused to circle a date on the calendar.

"It's obviously new, the break to deal with, but we'll wait and see," he said. "We're hopeful but I don't want to put any deadlines on it just yet.

"Amad won't be involved this week. He'll be out for a little bit longer. Mase (Mason Mount) is back around the group, which was great. Trained this week, so that's a big positive for us."

If the medical bulletin was mixed, the manager’s verdict on his new midfielder was anything but.

"We're delighted to have Carlos," Carrick said. "I think huge potential, massive potential. I think he's a really exciting signing for us.

"I think the quality that he has, the attributes that he has that offsets a little bit of the balance of the group that we've got. Different strengths, different combinations.

"So, for us to have that, absolutely delighted to have him. I think there's so much more to come from him as well, which with the player that he already is with that little bit more to come is exciting for us."

United need that excitement to translate into performances quickly. Last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at play-off winners Hull was a jolt – a flat, worrying start to the season that has already sharpened the scrutiny.

Marcus Rashford was thrown on at half-time at Hull after being granted extra rest following the World Cup, with Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo also introduced from the bench. The sense was clear: Carrick knows he has options, and he may need all of them.

"We've got a squad to choose from. We've got a good squad and we could pick a variety kind of combinations within the team," he said. "We'll pick a team for the weekend but, yeah, certainly the boys are massively in contention."

For now, Baleba will watch that contest from the sidelines, the club’s latest big-money bet waiting to join the fight. The question is simple: when he finally steps into that midfield, will he be the spark that drags United’s season into gear?