Carlos Baleba’s new nightmare as Man Utd transfer hopes begin to fade | Football | Sport
Brighton midfielder and Manchester United target Carlos Baleba endured a torrid evening on Wednesday as he was substituted just 22 minutes into his side’s 1-0 loss to Aston Villa. Baleba was a late target for United late last summer but remained at the AMEX Stadium.
Wednesday’s outing at Villa Park proved particularly problematic for Baleba, as manager Fabian Hurzeler withdrew him barely over 20 minutes into the match. The former-Lille man picked up a yellow card inside two minutes for a challenge on Morgan Rogers, before being replaced by experienced midfielder James Milner.
Television footage captured Baleba concealing his face in his shirt whilst sitting on the substitutes’ bench, as Brighton endured yet another setback thanks to Tyrone Mings’ late header, which ricocheted in off Jack Hinshelwood. Following the match, Hurzeler stood by his player regarding the early caution.
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“I’m not happy with the yellow card he gets so absolutely the wrong decision for me to give him… the first foul wasn’t even a bad foul, not a tactical foul, a yellow card,” he said.
“Then of course we had to take care of him so that was the only reason. But it was a big impact from the referee to give that yellow card, therefore we had to make the substitution.”
Back in September, the Brighton manager acknowledged that United’s pursuit of Baleba had influenced the player’s form on the pitch. “I think it’s normal for a young player when the media creates the noise around him,” Hurzeler said.
“It’s not easy for this player to handle it. Therefore, we need to give him the time and support so he comes back to his best performance.
“But he’s a young player and I think that’s something we have to accept, that young players don’t always have the face we want to see.”
