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Manchester United's young midfielder Carlos Balenba is set to make his debut for the club after recovering from an ankle injury sustained upon joining from Brighton this summer. The 22-year-old played in a secret friendly match against Lausanne Sport at Carrington, where Manchester United won 2-1. Additionally, manager Michael Carrick received another positive update with Matthijs de Ligt's return to action after being out since November due to a back injury.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Manchester United received positive news as Carlos Talaka Baleba, a 22-year-old midfielder signed from Brighton and Hove Albion, made his debut for the club. Baleba had been sidelined since joining due to an ankle injury sustained before the move. He played in a secret friendly match against Lausanne Sport, a Swiss Super League team owned by INEOS, where United won 2-1.
Additionally, Matthijs de Ligt, who had missed significant time with a back problem, made his return after nearly a year away from play when he started as part of the defense. This development is crucial for manager Ralf Rangnick ahead of an upcoming Premier League match against Tottenham next weekend.
Several other notable players like Harry Maguire and Matheus Cunha also participated in this friendly, which was held at Manchester United's Carrington training complex.
Written for “Manchester United Injury Boost” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
The Cameroon international has not featured since arriving at Old Trafford from Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer transfer window.
asserted
international → feature → window
The 22-year-old had a pre-existing ankle injury upon joining the club, and as such, his debut has been delayed for a significant spell as he has recovered.
asserted
he → have → spell
Now, however, he is set to hand his manager a huge boost ahead of next weekend’s return to Premier League action, when United host Tottenham.
asserted
United → set → Tottenham
The midfielder started against affiliate club Lausanne Sport, the Swiss Super League side owned by INEOS, in a secret friendly played at Carrington.
asserted
midfielder → start → Carrington
United won the affair 2-1, with several first-team names featuring having not been called up for international duty.
asserted
names → win → duty
Harry Maguire and Matheus Cunha were among those in action, while there was another big boost for Carrick ahead of the return to club football, as Matthijs de Ligt started in central defence, to mark his first appearance since November last year.
asserted
Ligt → be → November
The Dutch centre-back had been out with a serious back problem, and he did not feature at all under Carrick after the former midfielder took over the reins from Ruben Amorim in January last season.
asserted
midfielder → feature → January
But with the former Juventus and Bayern Munich man seemingly back in contention, his comeback could potentially be a catalyst to shore up United’s leaky defence.
uncertain
comeback → shore → defence
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