The last time I spoke about Manchester United, I said they were close to meltdown mode.

After Lisandro Martinez’s explosive post-match rant vs Atletico Madrid and the torrid defeat to Spurs, consider that button firmly pushed.

When the mood around Old Trafford becomes a ‘toxic cocktail’, the focus turns away from the actual football on the pitch with the negative narratives going into overdrive.

It’s probably why, when things have turned sour for managers after Sir Alex Ferguson, it’s incredibly difficult to wrestle with and reverse the downward spiral.

However, it isn’t actually all doom and gloom, believe it or not.

Man Utd’s marquee signing in Carlos Baleba may not have had many minutes, but he’s already shown why he could fill a Casemiro-shaped hole in their midfield and possibly offer them some much-needed defensive coverage.

Against Atletico Madrid, the Cameroonian got his first start, and United probably deserved something from the game. Baleba also came on against Tottenham Hotspur to help the Red Devils build a head of steam.

So what is he offering that Man Utd have been missing, and could he bring them to life? Well, I happily took a look at all of the 97 minutes he’s played so far in a United shirt to find out.

Progression and creating a yard of space
Kobbie Mainoo has been Manchester United’s standout performer this season and can progress the ball from defence into attack.

Youri Tielemans can do this too, but surprisingly he has been poor out of possession. Baleba, on the other hand, can progress the ball in combination with defensive abilities off it.

One of his key skills so far has been his ability to take the ball on the half-turn whilst facing his own goal to create a yard for himself whilst bypassing pressure and players in the process.

Against Atletico Madrid, as Senne Lammens was being closed down, Baleba was literally jumping whilst asking for the ball.

When he receives, he makes sure to take it on his right foot and dart up the pitch, taking out an Atletico player in the process and creating space for himself.

United became more settled against Tottenham Hotspur in the second half as they now had two players in Mainoo and Baleba to receive wherever on the pitch, evade challenges and come out with the ball.

If they can continue to do this, it’ll make it harder for teams to press them but also easier for United’s midfielders to create space in the middle of the pitch, meaning they can leave attackers high up instead of dropping them to progress the ball.

Matheus Cunha and Bruno Fernandes have been dropping into midfield to receive the ball from the defence and get it into attack, but that leaves United with a scant number of attackers up front.

Baleba entering the picture could solve this.

Ground coverage, interceptions and ‘legs’
Can you actually trace United’s downfall this season to Casemiro leaving? They don’t score set-piece goals anymore, and the Brazilian put out plenty of fires.

When he left, you felt United lacked real aggression, but Baleba’s ground coverage and ability to be the central midfield destroyer can fill the void.

When Tottenham had the ball close to United’s box, Baleba scampered back 30 yards to step in and tackle Sandro Tonali and then Dominic Solanke.

At other times, simply by getting close to the opposition and standing in the right place, he is able to block the pass into the attacker.

United have conceded lots of goals this season from incredibly sloppy errors. Think of the weak manner in which Martinez tussled with Solanke, or the Argentinian’s own goal vs Fulham.

But they haven’t had a midfielder hellbent on stopping these moves before they become dangerous until Baleba became fit enough to play.

On one occasion against Spurs, Baleba was pressing high, but the second he saw an aerial pass attempted to be played up to Solanke, he read the intentions of the full-back and ran back to intercept.

He has not been deflated by United’s defeats this season and has a renewed energy as a new signing that the other players don’t, and with his ground coverage, interceptions and general ability to do the central midfield dog work, he offers plenty no other United midfielder can.

It’s not like Tielemans or Andrey Santos, as the other two midfield signings, have hit the ground running. Both can do certain things well but also lack in other departments.

Baleba, on the other hand, has been effective every minute he’s been on the pitch, and it’s no wonder that when he was on (second half vs Tottenham and for an hour at Atletico Madrid) United were markedly better.

And his energy is crucial; there are tactical holes in Carrick’s 26/27 United team, but they’ve often just looked lackadaisical, as if they’re fed up and don’t want to commit to the cause.

It may be a stretch to say Baleba could save United’s season, but at the very least, he can bring some needed verve, defensive know-how and protection to a team that desperately needs to pin their hopes on something