Man Utd’s hapless defenders will be grateful for Baleba’s arrival but FOUR of them could be out of the door next summer

HARRY MAGUIRE and Luke Shaw got off the bus at Hull, but there was no danger of the Manchester United coach throwing them under it. “It just doesn’t mean we have to shout and scream and create some chaos just because of it,” Michael Carrick said of their leaden defeat. Some of his predecessors would have. Maguire had a bad day at his former club Credit: EPA Shaw is starting his 13th season at United Credit: Getty Maguire, the vice-captain, and Shaw, the club’s longest-serving player, have 19 years’ experience at United and endured far worse days representing the club than at the weekend. Maguire and Shaw will be grateful for the sight of Carlos Baleba, an actual defensive midfielder and the third to bolster that area this summer, at Carrington on Monday. Sign up for the Man United newsletter Thank you! United have not made a truly game-changing midfield signing since Owen Hargreaves in 2007. They would not have won the Champions League without Hargreaves, though the perma-crock was a mere one-season wonder. Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera were decent players who contributed to cup wins. Casemiro’s Old Trafford career was bookended by good seasons, but third-place finishes were a comedown from the annual open-top bus parades in Madrid. As if that was not enough pressure for Baleba, there is (or was) chatter about a potential title tilt from United this season. Nothing can prepare Baleba for how demanding it will be when he enters Old Trafford and turns right for the home dressing room. He will have watched Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, midfielders in their early twenties and late twenties, flag at relegation favourites Hull. Tielemans, who played at the World Cup (unlike Baleba), still clocked up more minutes in pre-season than the Cameroonian. Baleba, 22, did not play in any of Brighton’s August friendlies due to an ankle injury, so he is already behind the curve. That is on United for waiting until the final fortnight of the transfer window to bid for an attainable target they enquired about a year ago. BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK United’s midfield is so stocked now that the attention has already turned to the defence after they conceded four goals against AC Milan and then two set pieces at Hull. Most read in Sport Pre-season form could easily be dismissed, but not Saturday’s result. Realistically, the only defensive reinforcement before next Tuesday’s 11pm deadline will be a left back. United have five senior centre halves, neither right back is on the market and Luke Shaw is out of contract next year. They have the quantity but maybe not the quality. The club belatedly decided the left-sided option should be a full back but have left it too late with Lewis Hall. Arsenal would still cash in on Myles Lewis-Skelly, valued north of £50million, an asking price strengthened by his two starts this month. United are compromised at centre back. They have made long-term investments in 20-year-old Leny Yoro and 19-year-old Ayden Heaven while Maguire signed a new contract in April. Matthijs de Ligt has not played since November, so even if United had planned to sell him – and there was absolutely no indication of that – they couldn’t have. The injury-prone Lisandro Martinez has also been off the market and, when fully match-fit, is a starter. There will be upheaval in defence next year. Shaw and Maguire could both be released and one of Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui may be moved on as both of their deals expire in 2028. Unless Maguire, Martinez and De Ligt avoid lengthy lay-offs this season, it seems unlikely that United would go into the 2027-28 campaign with the trio as their most senior centre halves. Maguire, who turns 34 in March, agreed a one-year contract with the option of an additional year. He is second-in-command to Bruno Fernandes and has started every game he has been available for under Carrick, on the coaching staff when Maguire joined United in 2019. Martinez is not fully match-fit Credit: Shutterstock Editorial United will extend Martinez’s contract to 2028 but the next nine months will decide whether he is offered a new deal or sold next summer. If United can bring in a credible heir to Shaw over the next week, then an optimum right back and centre back next year would ease any defensive overhaul. 2027 marks ten years since Manchester City let four full backs go, signed three (two for record fees) for more than £100m. They became the Premier League’s first and only centurions with Pep Guardiola’s first title triumph. Clearing the decks remains beyond United, still yet to sell a genuine first team squad member this summer. 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