Manchester United suffered a defeat in the Premier League once again, this time at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion.
Goals from Yankuba Minteh, Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter cancelled out a Bruno Fernandes penalty to give the Seagulls all three points against the Red Devils.
Manchester United players weren’t great against Brighton. It was, yet again, a day to forget for Ruben Amorim.
Whilst United were poor, Brighton showed up at Old Trafford. One man in particular put in a simply dominant display in the centre of the park.
Carlos Baleba was electric against Manchester United
Whilst Minteh officially received the man of the match for Brighton, the midfield general in Carlos Baleba was simply a monster against the Red Devils.
The Cameroonian was everywhere and bullied the United midfield of Kobbie Mainoo and the Roy Keane-like Manuel Ugarte for the majority of whilst they were on the pitch.
For a 21-year-old to come and do that at Old Trafford is nothing short of ludicrous, and his fantastic display in front of Manchester United supporters is epitomised in the form of statistics.
| Baleba vs Manchester United | |
| Duels Won | 8 |
| Duels Lost | 7 |
| Ground Duels Won | 6/12 (50%) |
| Aerial Duels Won | 2/3 (67%) |
| Was Fouled | 2 |
| Fouls Committed | 2 |
Baleba certainly enjoyed the victory – as seen post-match in the tunnel at the Theatre of Dreams.
Erik ten Hag linked to sign Carlos Baleba – twice
Like many youngsters in world football, Baleba has been previously linked to the Red Devils – both times when Erik ten Hag was Manchester United’s manager.
In 2023, whilst he was at Lille, United sent scouts to watch Baleba in Ligue 1. He was a wanted man, however, with the report stating Arsenal, Liverpool, Leicester, West Ham and Newcastle were also interested.
AC Milan also tried to buy Baleba in January 2023, whilst Juventus, Nice and Monaco were all also keen. With hindsight in our favour, we know none of these came to fruition, and he joined the Seagulls.
Over a year later, with Baleba impressing at the Amex, CaughtOffside claimed that “Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are all showing an interest in Baleba ahead of the summer transfer window”.
Instead, Baleba stayed put and will be glad he did – given the difference in calibre between United and Brighton at the moment.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/NDq3yjt