Manchester United’s Hull humiliation highlights urgent need for Carlos Baleba

Manchester United’s promising pre-season outlook was shattered by a 2-0 defeat at newly promoted Hull City in the opening round of the Premier League, with the result underlining the need for Carlos Baleba to return from injury and complete his proposed move from Brighton.

The match appeared to be a manageable first challenge for Michael Carrick’s side, but Hull City produced a forceful performance and outplayed Manchester United physically and technically to claim a deserved victory.

The defeat exposed a weakness in United’s midfield despite the summer arrivals of Youri Tielemans and Andre Santos. Neither player made the expected impact on their debut, while Hull’s greater physicality was reflected in the contest statistics: the hosts won 50 duels compared with Manchester United’s 36.

United had already moved close to completing a £70m deal for Baleba from Brighton. However, the Cameroon midfielder is not currently available after suffering an ankle ligament injury during pre-season.

The opening-day performance made his return more urgent for Carrick and his players.

Hull immediately unsettled the visitors with a high tempo and aggressive pressing. Manchester United struggled to respond and were unable to recover after conceding twice inside the first 40 minutes.

The opening goal came from a rapid attack through the middle. Regan Slater capitalised on an unsuccessful clearance by Noussair Mazraoui, while Brian Mbeumo appeared slow to react.

Tielemans and Santos were also absent as the ball was worked towards the flank, and Tielemans was late in closing down Ryan Giles. Giles attempted to deliver a cross, but the ball turned into a direct effort that Senne Lammens pushed behind for a corner. Simi Ajayi converted from the resulting set-piece in the 17th minute.

Santos made another error later in the half when he surrendered possession close to the halfway line, although Hull were unable to make the most of the opportunity.

The match suggested that the problems seen during pre-season were not temporary concerns. United’s midfield weaknesses were clear in their first competitive test, with questions over whether a trio of Tielemans, Santos and Bruno Fernandes could provide enough energy and strength.

Those concerns were fully exposed against Hull. United’s players were repeatedly beaten in physical challenges, made loose passes under pressure and looked slow when moving without the ball.

Tielemans endured a particularly difficult evening. He was nutmegged on the edge of the penalty area before committing the foul that led directly to Hull’s second goal. Noble Mendy met a precise cross with a header to double the home side’s advantage.

Santos improved after the interval and showed greater determination in the battle for possession, but another misplaced pass almost allowed Hull to score a third. Mohamed Belloumi took advantage and went towards the penalty area, but his eventual shot went narrowly wide.

Manchester United had 72% possession, according to BBC figures, but lacked effectiveness in front of goal. Fernandes was also unable to influence the game in his usual manner as Hull restricted his opportunities.

Carrick attempted to alter the contest by introducing Marcus Rashford at the start of the second half. Tielemans and Santos were then withdrawn midway through the half, with Kobbie Mainoo and Benjamin Sesko coming on.

The changes did not produce a comeback. Mainoo nearly gifted Hull a third goal when a poor pass gave Liam Millar a clear route towards the penalty area, although the Hull forward failed to apply the finishing touch.

The defeat demonstrated that Manchester United still require a midfielder able to bring strength, energy and balance to the team. Baleba possesses the qualities currently missing from Carrick’s side, including physical power, ball-winning ability, speed and the capacity to cover large areas of midfield.

His recovery from injury and arrival at Manchester United as soon as possible could therefore prove crucial in addressing one of the team’s most serious weaknesses at the start of the season.