Carlos Baleba’s arrival has Manchester United fans dreaming again, and with the transfer window still open, there is genuine excitement that more reinforcements could arrive before the deadline. After years of midfield frustration, United have already made major moves by bringing in Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, with Baleba adding another exciting dimension to the rebuild. Reports put the Baleba deal at £65 million guaranteed plus £5 million in add-ons, making him the club’s third midfield signing of the summer.
But amid all the excitement, there is one thing Manchester United supporters absolutely need to avoid: writing players off before they have even had the chance to settle. 👀
The 2-0 defeat to newly promoted Hull City was obviously painful. United dominated possession but struggled to turn that control into genuine attacking threat, while Hull showed greater intensity and punished mistakes from set pieces.
And yes, Tielemans and Santos had difficult afternoons.
But that does not suddenly make them bad footballers. ❌
These are players who have only just walked through the doors at Old Trafford and are being asked to immediately understand a new manager, new teammates, new tactical demands and the enormous pressure that comes with playing for Manchester United.
Tielemans arrived after an impressive spell at Aston Villa, where he made 134 appearances and earned both the Players’ Player and Supporters’ Player of the Season awards in 2024/25. Santos, meanwhile, arrived from Chelsea as another important part of United’s midfield rebuild.
Then came Hull.
One game.
One difficult 90 minutes.
And suddenly, parts of the fanbase were already talking as if these players had spent five years at Old Trafford and failed repeatedly. 😳
Come on, Reds!
There is absolutely nothing wrong with saying a player was poor. Footballers at Manchester United should be held to high standards. If Tielemans misplaces passes, if Santos struggles to influence a game or if any new signing has a nightmare performance, supporters have every right to question what they saw.
Criticism is football. Abuse is something completely different. 🚫
United’s midfield was expected to look much better against Hull, and the lack of chemistry between the new arrivals was obvious. Analysts have also pointed to the team’s physical and tactical struggles, suggesting that the players are still adjusting and building an understanding with one another.
That is precisely why patience matters.
A rebuild cannot be judged after one afternoon.
Carlos Baleba himself is another perfect reminder of this. The Cameroon international is only 22 and brings athleticism, aggression, ball-carrying ability and defensive intensity that could give United’s midfield something different. However, even Baleba’s recent form has been inconsistent, proving that promising players are still human and can go through difficult periods.
So when Baleba eventually steps onto the pitch, what happens if he has a poor debut? 🤔
Are we going to start calling him a flop?
Are we going to demand that he be sold?
Are we going to flood social media with abuse?
Hopefully not.
Because if Manchester United genuinely want to build something sustainable, the supporters have to understand that development is not always instant.
The club has invested heavily in rebuilding the midfield. Tielemans, Santos and Baleba represent different qualities, and the idea is to give Michael Carrick more options, energy and balance in the middle of the pitch.
They need time to understand each other.
They need time to adapt.
They need time to make mistakes.
And most importantly, they need the confidence to know that one bad performance will not make their own supporters turn against them. ❤️🔥
Manchester United already have enough pressure coming from outside.
Rivals will celebrate every mistake.
Pundits will analyse every misplaced pass.
Social media will turn every poor performance into a crisis.
Opposition fans will be waiting for the next opportunity to mock the club.
United supporters do not need to join that chorus.
These players are ours now. 🔴
When they score, celebrate them.
When they produce brilliant performances, praise them.
When they make mistakes, demand improvement.
When they struggle, encourage them.
That does not mean accepting mediocrity. It means understanding that footballers are not machines and that new signings need more than one match to prove themselves.
The Hull defeat was disappointing. There is no hiding from that. But it was also only the beginning of a long Premier League season. Even Michael Carrick’s side, after all the optimism surrounding the summer, has plenty to improve.
So let’s keep the standards high without losing our heads. 🧠🔥
Let’s demand better without destroying confidence.
Let’s criticise performances without attacking people.
And let’s give these new Manchester United players the opportunity to show us why the club believed in them in the first place.
Because if Baleba, Santos, Tielemans and the rest of this new-look squad eventually help United compete at the highest level, nobody will remember the bad debut quite as much.
But they will remember whether the supporters stood behind them when things got difficult. ❤️🔴
One bad game does not define a Manchester United player. Give them time. Give them patience. Give them support. Then judge them properly. 🤌🔥
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