TA: Skelly stays at Arsenal, Manchester United shifts their focus to Baleba.

Michael Carrick rarely makes grand pronouncements in media interviews, but he clearly expressed his views during an interview with reporters in County Kildare, Ireland last Thursday.

He said, "We always want to improve. We need to do more, and we're always looking for ways to improve; it never stops. We must keep striving."

Whether these words were a response to the impatient fans due to the team's lack of signings, or a response to the club's management considering their next move, only Carrick himself knows. Perhaps it was simply his honest answer to an obvious question. In any case, a week later, his words have received a response. Manchester United are close to completing a signing that could bring the team's summer transfer activity to a satisfactory level.

Diego Baleba differs from Tielemans and Kaua Santos in that he combines dynamism, defensive tenacity, and ball-carrying ability, making him a good fit for Carrick's midfield system. Manchester United were aware of the terms of the transfer last summer, but decided against making an offer after Brighton made it clear they were asking for over £100 million. Baleba has had a difficult season after two consecutive excellent ones, with transfer rumors and injuries contributing to his decline. However, Manchester United have maintained their interest in him, including during his time representing Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations, where his performances were impressive.

In April, The Athletic reported that Manchester United were highly likely to sign Bareba, with a significantly lower transfer fee expected. Although United pursued other targets and spent some time on their own, this long-term scouting of the 22-year-old has now led to new contact.

However, Manchester United's transfer strategy hasn't always been clear. Just last weekend, they were still exploring terms for signing Miles Lewis Skeley. Agents had recommended the Arsenal player to United, and the club was indeed interested. Last season, Skeley didn't start regularly under Mikel Arteta, suggesting he might have a chance to leave, despite his excellent performances in Arsenal's last two Champions League matches.

However, in recent days, Manchester United have confirmed that 19-year-old Lewis Skelley will not leave the club he has played for since childhood this summer, so the team's attention has turned entirely to Baleba. Negotiations between Manchester United and Brighton revolve around a transfer fee of approximately £65 million.

Mount's physical condition is also a factor Manchester United is considering. Mount's excellent performances in preseason against Wrexham, Rosenborg, and Atletico Madrid have prompted internal discussions about which position should be prioritized for reinforcement. Given Mount's technical ability, the club believes he can frequently play in deeper midfield positions, leading to the perception that, given the need for coordinated financial arrangements, left-back is a more pressing issue.

Luke Shaw started every single English top-flight league match last season and performed exceptionally well. However, with more games this season and Shaw already 31 years old, Manchester United will inevitably need to sign a successor soon.

However, Mount's substitution in the 19th minute of the friendly against Paris Saint-Germain on August 8th prompted Manchester United to reassess his injury. Scans revealed only a minor hamstring strain. This injury alone is not enough for United to refocus on midfield, but it serves as a reminder of Mount's persistent appearances issues since joining from Chelsea in 2023.

Despite Mount's hard work and the recognition of his dedication by every manager, he has only made 72 appearances to date, and his longest consecutive appearance last season was only 8 games.

Therefore, Manchester United began scouting players who could play both midfield and left-back. Lewis Skelley was a prime example, although he preferred playing in midfield; Real Madrid's Camavinga was also mentioned. Baleba has never played left-back for Brighton, but he is left-footed and could potentially fill that position if needed by Manchester United. He has also played as a centre-back for Brighton twice.

However, Manchester United are still scouting a professional left-back, but at this stage, the team seems more likely to choose a lower-cost option, thus slowing down their pursuit of Lewis Hall from Newcastle. If Zirkzee leaves, Manchester United are also considering signing a striker.

In the forward position, Benjamin Sesco is getting closer to returning to play. Due to a shin injury he suffered at the end of last season, which kept him out longer than expected, he needs more time to recover. Following the plan devised by the club's medical staff, he went to the Carrington training ground almost every day during the summer to train and prepare for his return. Last week, he already participated in several training sessions with his teammates.

Sesco increased his involvement in training this week and is likely to play in the opening match against Hull City. Sesco appears to have gained some muscle, but with increased cardio during matches, he is expected to lose weight.

Marcus Rashford will be included in the squad for the match against Hull City. He made his first appearance for Manchester United in 20 months last Saturday, coming on as a substitute in Wrocław, Poland, against AC Milan. Rashford will wear the number 9 shirt, seen as a sign of his return to a more important role at the club. With Raul Hoylen's permanent transfer to Napoli confirmed, Marco Sesco was once considered the natural successor to the number 9 shirt, and United discussed the arrangement, but the 23-year-old Slovenian striker prefers to retain the number 30 shirt he wore during his time at RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg.

Sources indicate that Rashford is confirmed to stay and will not leave before the deadline.

With Sesco's return, Carrick will have more options in attack. Sesco, Bryan Mbeumo, and Matthäus Cunha all scored double figures in the English top flight in their first seasons at Manchester United, with 11, 11, and 10 goals respectively (excluding penalties). This is the first time in five years that three Manchester United players have achieved double figures in league goals in their debut season, the last time being under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's management of Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, and Edinson Cavani. However, if Zirkzee leaves, Manchester United may still strengthen their attack.

On the defensive end, Carrick also faces a personnel selection dilemma.

Aiden Haven had an outstanding preseason, starting all six matches and being the only player, along with Kaua Santos, to play the full 90 minutes. Kaua Santos has the most playing time with 358 minutes, followed closely by Aiden Haven with 347 minutes, the most among all defenders. Luke Shaw accumulated 346 minutes after coming on as a substitute against Leeds United, while Maguire played 343 minutes, but he completely missed the match in Dublin.

With Lisandro Martinez having participated in the World Cup final, he is still working hard to regain his match fitness after his break. At the end of last season, Carrick did indeed prefer to use the experienced and capable Argentine defender.

The competition among left-sided center-backs will be one of the highlights of this season. The 19-year-old Aiden Haven has performed well in England's top flight. Last season, his ground duel success rate was 71.1%, ranking third among all players, behind only Ezri Konsa's 73.1% and Ake's 72.7%.

Aiden Haven is working with Johnny Evans and the coaching staff to improve his game. He spent time with Evans before preseason, learning from the former English top-flight league champion centre-back. During preseason, the two trained one-on-one after regular training sessions, with 20-year-old Joro also joining in. These two young players complement 28-year-old Martinez and 33-year-old Maguire, while 27-year-old De Ligt has returned to training after missing nearly nine months due to a back injury.

Manchester United gave several academy players opportunities during preseason, with Tyler Fletcher struggling to break into the first-team midfield. Since joining Tottenham Hotspur, Tynan Thompson has played 45 minutes in Dublin.

Fifteen-year-old Thiago Gabriel made his preseason debut, playing in five of the team's six matches. He appeared for a total of eight minutes, coming on as a substitute against Atletico Madrid, replacing Mbeumo as a striker. Considering he trained with first-team stars, his level of involvement already surpasses that of almost all his peers in the country, but he was initially expected to receive more playing time.

Upon returning to England, Gabriel participated in the U21 competition and unleashed a powerful shot into the top corner of the goal in a friendly against Sheffield Wednesday.

Carrick's immediate priority is leading his team to an away game against Hull City. Hull City have never won in 10 English top-flight league matches against Manchester United, but the two sides last met in East Yorkshire, with Hull City winning 2-1 in the second leg of the 2017 League Cup semi-final.

Carrick hopes history won't repeat itself and that he can maintain his form from the end of May, performing at his best in the top league.