Man Utd news: Baleba out for weeks as Carrick weighs Dorgu return

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Carlos Baleba will miss Manchester United’s game against Aston Villa and remain sidelined beyond the international break, Michael Carrick has confirmed.

The midfielder’s absence is the main setback from Carrick’s latest Man Utd news conference, although Patrick Dorgu could return to the squad after resuming limited training.

United host Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday 8 November, with kick-off at 4.30pm GMT. Carrick wants his players to build on Tuesday’s 3-2 Champions League comeback against Roma, warning that one victory has not resolved their problems.

Carlos Baleba injury: midfielder faces weeks out

Baleba suffered a hamstring injury against Roma and was replaced shortly after half-time. Carrick has now ruled him out of Sunday’s match, with no precise return date available.

“Carlos, we don’t know exactly, but it will be a number of weeks,” Carrick said. “It’s definitely not this week or over the international break. It will be a little bit longer than that.”

The update means United must adjust their midfield again. Youri Tielemans replaced Baleba against Roma and impressed Carrick, who praised his contribution in United’s initial injury update.

Tielemans is therefore an option against his former club, although Carrick has not confirmed his starting line-up. Our earlier report on Baleba’s injury and Tielemans’ opportunity against Villa examines the midfield decision.

Patrick Dorgu injury update offers cautious hope

Dorgu has taken a small step towards returning after his own hamstring problems, but training with the squad does not yet guarantee a place against Villa.

“Patrick has done a little bit of training this week, very small,” Carrick said. “We’ve got to be patient with that.”

The United head coach stressed the need to manage the defender carefully after repeated hamstring issues. He left the weekend decision open, saying the club would assess whether Dorgu could be involved.

Friday’s update on Dorgu and Baleba presents two different situations: Baleba is unavailable, while Dorgu remains a possibility.

Man Utd vs Aston Villa team news: Martínez suspended

United must also cope without Lisandro Martínez. The defender serves a one-match suspension following his red card against Chelsea, as confirmed in the club’s official Villa match guide.

Player	Latest position
Carlos Baleba	Out with a hamstring injury; absence expected to extend beyond the international break.
Patrick Dorgu	Back in limited training; involvement against Villa remains uncertain.
Lisandro Martínez	Suspended for one match.

Luke Shaw, Manuel Ugarte, Marcus Rashford and Benjamin Šeško have also been out of action. Carrick’s comments on Baleba and Dorgu should not be read as confirmation of a return for any of those players.

Carrick warns Manchester United must build on Roma win

United overturned a two-goal deficit against Roma, but Carrick resisted describing the result as a completed turnaround.

“Nothing is done yet,” he said. “It is one moment in time that we need to use to move forward. We need more of it, for sure.”

He also defended aspects of the first-half performance after reviewing the match, while acknowledging that individual moments had left his side exposed.

His focus is on sustaining their better spells. Carrick said the players had trained well and wanted more of the positive passages they produced during the European win.

“Success does take time, and we don’t like having to spend time,” he added.

Carrick pays tribute to Sir Alex Ferguson

The press conference also marked 40 years since Sir Alex Ferguson arrived at Manchester United.

Carrick described the anniversary as worth celebrating and said his relationship with his former manager had grown closer since his playing career ended.

“I am probably closer to him, and speak more to him now, than I did when I was playing,” he said.

Sunday brings the focus back to results. United’s comeback against Roma provided encouragement, but Baleba’s injury and Martínez’s suspension leave Carrick with immediate selection decisions against Villa.

Follow the weekend’s wider build-up in our Premier League gameweek 10 preview and latest Premier League news.

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