Overview
- Manchester United staged a behind-closed-doors friendly against Lausanne‑Sport on Friday where Carlos Baleba made his first appearance in a United shirt and Matthijs de Ligt also started as part of their recovery programmes.
- Reports say Baleba has progressed faster than expected in training and could be in contention to feature against Tottenham at Old Trafford on October 10 if he finishes his comeback without issues.
- De Ligt’s run‑out was his first match action since last November and the club are treating him as a player to be eased back into the squad, with substitute involvement in upcoming Champions League ties reported as likely.
- United still face a congested fitness picture with several players carrying knocks or having withdrawn from international duty, including Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo, Benjamin Sesko, Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui, leaving final selections dependent on late medical checks.
- The friendly used INEOS‑affiliate Lausanne‑Sport to give minutes to returning players and offered Carrick a low‑risk chance to assess Baleba, the £70m summer signing from Brighton who was signed to add midfield drive and ball recovery.