Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick will be without Carlos Baleba until the international break.

The 22-year-old became the club’s third midfield signing last month and the fourth, as well as final, senior arrival of the summer after Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Karl Darlow.

However, while Santos and Tielemans made their full debuts on the opening day of the season against Hull, the Cameroon international has had to wait because of an injury he picked up earlier in the summer.

Even though many felt Baleba’s prospects of joining Manchester United had diminished after that setback, INEOS still chose to spend £70 million on the combative midfielder, who had been keen on the move a year ago.

The drawback, though, is that Carrick has had restricted options in the opening weeks of the campaign. At present, he is depending on Tielemans and Mainoo as his midfield pairing, with Santos serving as the main option from the bench.

In recent weeks, there had been suggestions that Baleba was targeting a comeback in the Manchester derby.

But according to Manchester Evening News journalist Tyrone Marshall, the midfielder will not be fit in time for the meeting with Manchester City.

The same report also expects the Cameroon international to miss Wednesday’s Carabao Cup match against his former club Brighton, as well as next Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Fulham.

That means Baleba is likely to stay sidelined until the extended international break before making his return in October.

He will now be aiming to be available for the Premier League clash with Tottenham at Old Trafford on October 10.

Although the added delay may be frustrating, Manchester United signed Baleba on a five-year contract in the hope of securing a young player capable of becoming a mainstay at the club for the next 10 years or so.

With the Cameroon international still unavailable, Santos remains the only true midfield enforcer at Carrick’s disposal.

Even so, the manager has chosen to leave the Brazilian out of his starting XI in favour of what many see as a lightweight midfield combination of Mainoo and Tielemans.

While the Englishman and the Belgian have offered creativity in central areas, the side is missing a physically dominant midfielder who can carry the ball forward through pace and strength, which is why Baleba is viewed as the missing piece in Carrick’s tactical puzzle.

Manchester United supporters are therefore eagerly waiting to see the Mainoo-Baleba partnership in action.