Manchester United have struggled to find a midfielder who can be a long term fixture for the future and get them back to the pinnacle. But Rio Ferdinand thinks summer signing Carlos Baleba could make himself a club hero at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils' centre of the park has never looked secure over the last near decade at the club with the style of physical presence being sorely missed. Baleba may well be the answer to those problems.
Carlos Baleba - The Missing Link in Midfield
Ferdinand, who backed Baleba's signing from Brighton long before the £70 million deal had been finalised in August, explained exactly why the Cameroonian is so crucial to United's tactical setup. He said on his his Rio Meets X account:
"His biggest thing, for me, is to be able to transfer the ball from the backline through to the eights and the tens," Ferdinand explained. "Either driving with it, or getting it and playing. That's what we didn't have before pure ball progression. He stops the transitions going the other way and starts ours."
For years, United have struggled to find a midfielder who can get stuck in while also the ability to pick a pass to get the team going forward. Despite an underwhelming past season, the club decided to bring Baleba to Old Trafford and he's already caught the eye since making his debut in a 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur.
United fans already like what they see
Ferdinand isn't the only one completely sold on Baleba's potential. Across social media, United supporters have been raving about his early-season performances.
Some fans have gone as far as to describe his profile as having "N'Golo Kanté's engine with Paul Pogba's ball carrying." While those might be people getting carried away, it's a foundation at least to build on with a for a United manager.
"It's about having the personality to get on the ball in tight areas and not look back," Ferdinand explained.
