Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has backed his old club’s decision to sign Carlos Baleba.
Following Casemiro’s departure and Manuel Ugarte’s serious knee issue, the Red Devils were left with Kobbie Mainoo as the only available senior deeper midfield option.
So, the Old Trafford club decided to revamp the engine room in the recently concluded summer transfer window. Initially, United were linked with expensive options like Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Bruno Guimaraes.
However, ultimately, Michael Carrick’s side decided to purchase Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Baleba from Chelsea, Aston Villa and Brighton, respectively.
Now, on his Rio Presents YouTube channel, the former defender states that United needed squad depth to cope with the demanding fixture schedule this season, having qualified for the Champions League. Santos and Baleba are high-potential signings with Premier League experience and represent shrewd acquisitions.
Moreover, Ferdinand says that although Baleba and Santos might not have been United’s first-choice options, Baleba was considered a £100m player last year and has high potential. So, he might turn out to be a great coup, with United signing him for a fee of around £70m, including bonuses.
Ferdinand said:
“All right, yes, (they) wouldn’t have been on the probably the top two or three in their list, but Baleba, you know, he’s got potential. We’ve seen that he was being earmarked as a 100 million pound player two seasons ago, right? And that doesn’t happen just overnight for nothing. There’s obviously got to have been some football being played in there.”
Ferdinand praises United’s decision to sign Baleba
Baleba is a left-footed defensive midfielder by trait but can provide cover in the box-to-box role if needed. He is quick, strong, good in the air, can carry the ball from deep, and is excellent in defensive contributions.
The 22-year-old came into the spotlight having displayed impressive performances for Brighton during the 2024/25 campaign. But he struggled to showcase his best last term. Now, he has been out injured and is likely to remain sidelined for a few more weeks.
Meanwhile, following a comfortable 5-2 victory over Ipswich Town, United are set to travel to the Hill Dickinson Stadium to face off against Everton this weekend.
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