Manchester United vs Ipswich Town: Carrick Seeks Response
Manchester United walk into their second Premier League game of the season already under pressure. A 2-0 defeat on the opening day has done that.
Hull City, fresh from the playoffs, made United look like the side feeling its way back into the division. Michael Carrick cannot afford a repeat. Not at Old Trafford. Not against another newly-promoted team in Ipswich Town.
This weekend is about control, authority, and a squad still patching itself together.
Baleba arrives, but may have to wait
Since that bruising loss to Hull, United have moved in the market. Carlos Baleba has arrived from Brighton and Hove Albion, the most natural defensive midfielder in the squad and a profile United have been crying out for.
He may not be the instant solution on Sunday.
Baleba is still working back from an ankle ligament injury picked up during Brighton’s pre-season. The expectation is that he will be fully fit before the end of September and will step up with individual work before then. The internal hope is to have him ready for competitive action around Saturday, 10 October, when United face Tottenham Hotspur.
For Ipswich, he is more a name on the teamsheet of the future than a presence in the middle of the pitch.
Amad sidelined after training setback
Amad will not be involved.
He featured in United’s final pre-season outing against AC Milan but then missed the Hull defeat. Roundtable understands the winger suffered an injury in training and could be out for up to six weeks.
That timeline points towards a potential return on Saturday, 10 October, against Tottenham Hotspur. Until then, Carrick’s wide options remain stretched, and any attacking reshuffle will have to come from within the current core.
Mount edges back into the frame
There is better news with Mason Mount.
The midfielder’s pre-season was jolted when he was forced off before the 20-minute mark against Paris Saint-Germain after a knock to the foot. He left the stadium without a limp that night, but the issue lingered. Mount then sat out games against Leeds United, AC Milan and Hull City.
He was described as “touch and go” for the Hull fixture. Now, Sam Cohen reports that Mount has trained with the squad ahead of the Ipswich clash. That shifts him firmly into contention for Sunday, 30 August, against Ipswich Town.
Carrick will have to decide how much risk to take with a player who can quicken the tempo and connect midfield to attack – something United badly lacked against Hull.
De Ligt’s long road back
Matthijs de Ligt remains a longer-term story.
The Dutch defender has not played since suffering a back injury in November 2025. At the time, Rúben Amorim suggested he might only be out for a week. The reality has been far harsher.
De Ligt has now been seen back in training with the first-team squad. At this stage, it looks like the early phase of his rehabilitation rather than a full return to contact and match intensity. With back injuries, United know they cannot rush.
The working estimate is a return in late October. Until then, any defensive reshaping will have to rely on the existing options.
Same squad, different standard
Strip away the noise and the picture is clear.
Against Ipswich Town, Carrick is likely to go with a squad very similar to the one that lost to Hull City. Amad is out. Baleba is not ready. De Ligt is still weeks away. Mount is the one genuine boost, if Carrick feels he can start – or at least influence the game from the bench.
What cannot be similar is the performance.
Hull made United look fragile, uncertain, and short of bite. Ipswich will arrive with the energy and belief of a newly-promoted side sensing vulnerability. United, under the lights of Old Trafford and the weight of expectation, must show that last weekend was a jolt, not a warning of what this season will become.
