Carlos Baleba injury: How many Man Utd games could he miss?

Manchester United were dealt a devastating new injury blow against Roma, as Carlos Baleba pulled up with a hamstring injury in the Champions League encounter.

The former Brighton & Hove Albion man was given the nod alongside Kobbie Mainoo in the centre of the park against the Giallorossi, but the Red Devils were soon overrun.

Matias Soule's strike and Donyell Malen's penalty put Roma 2-0 up inside just 17 minutes, seeing Man United break an unwanted club record for the quickest time to concede two goals in a European home game.

Supporters - who were already voicing their disapproval towards INEOS and the Glazers - temporarily halted the game by throwing tennis balls onto the pitch, before booing the players off at half time.

Michael Carrick's men generated just 0.24 Expected Goals in the first half, but they quickly found themselves in behind in the second period, only for the attack to break down in painful circumstances.

Carlos Baleba suffers hamstring injury in Man United vs. Roma

Baleba looks distraught as he limps off ? #mufc https://t.co/TM99RzCjYQ
— Man United News (@ManUtdMEN) November 3, 2026

Baleba found himself one-on-one with Roma goalkeeper Devis Vazquez at a tight angle, but as the Cameroonian was bearing down on goal, he pulled up clutching his hamstring before getting a shot or a pass off.

Vazquez gratefully collected the ball while Baleba collapsed in agony in the goal, and the 22-year-old trudged off to be replaced by Youri Tielemans in the 51st minute.

Baleba gingerly walked to the tunnel with a member of the medical team as he prepares to undergo further assessment, having been dealt another setback in his fledgling Man United career.

The midfielder's Red Devils debut was initially delayed due to an ankle injury, as he did not make his first appearance for Man United until October 10 against Tottenham Hotspur.

Baleba has started each of Man United's last three Premier League games, though, and he was making his second European start of the campaign against Roma.

Carlos Baleba injury: Which Man United games could midfielder miss?

Some hamstring issues simply prove to be tightness or scares, which can heal in a few days, but Baleba's actions were indicative of a true hamstring strain.

However, if the 22-year-old has only suffered a Grade 1 injury, he could be back in a couple of weeks, meaning he would only miss the visit of Aston Villa on November 8 and return against Liverpool on November 22 following the international break.

A Grade 2 problem could rule Baleba out for around six weeks, though, meaning he would also be unavailable for fixtures against Sporting Lisbon and Brentford before the end of the month, as well as Newcastle United, Coventry City, RB Leipzig and Crystal Palace in the first half of December.

A Grade 3 injury - a complete tear - would require a three-month recovery period, keeping Baleba sidelined until early February and forcing him to miss crunch clashes with Arsenal (December 20), Bayern Munich (January 20) and Liverpool (January 23).