At 22 years old, Baleba made the switch from Brighton to the Red Devils in a £70M move during the summer transfer window.
Baleba arrived at Old Trafford carrying an ankle injury sustained during pre-season, delaying his competitive debut until what may be tonight against Tottenham.
The Red Devils are 12th in the Premier League, with just one win and five points from their opening five games. Carrick desperately needs inspiration in his side who, despite investment, look to have regressed.
Speaking on the possibility of Baleba's debut, Carrick tried to ease the pressure on the young midfielder who will be expected to make an almost instant impact.
"There's a little bit of patience there for him to get up to speed, and that's up to us to pick that right time for him as well, but he offers us a lot. I've said it before, the midfield that we've got, we're really happy with, and the selections and the options that we have, and he definitely adds to that. It’s great to have Carlos on the grass, you know? Unfortunately, he picked up the injury in pre-season, so he’s missed a lot. It’s an important time of year, so we’ll work to get him back, it will need a bit of patience because it is important."
"We’re not expecting too much, too soon, he’s still a young player and he’s made a big move coming here. We want to help him work through and get him up to speed, but he definitely adds to our midfield group which is already strong and I’m looking forward to getting him back, to have that option.
“He obviously got involved (as an unused substitute) in the last game but an extra bit of training and he’s going to keep improving as the time goes on, as the weeks and the months and hopefully the years go by."
Baleba is yet to step on the pitch for United but the clash against bottom of the league Spurs could be the start of a comeback for Carrick as he aims to lift the side into the top half of the table.