MANCHESTER UNITED TARGET CARLOS BALEBA CONFIRMS BRYAN MBEUMO IS THE TRUE CAMEROON LEADER
Carlos Baleba hails Bryan Mbeumo as a great leader as the pair prepare for Cameroon’s AFCON opener against Gabon today.
Carlos Baleba, who Man United is eyeing, is really impressed with his international teammate Bryan Mbeumo. The Cameroon player called Mbeumo a great leader as they chase after the Africa Cup of Nations title.
Mbeumo joined Ruben Amorim's team from Brentford over the summer and seems to be doing well, which is good news for United as they try to get back on top. United wanted Baleba from Brighton, but they couldn't get him because he cost over £100 million.
A central midfielder is still a main concern for United, since they've been lacking in that spot since Bruno Fernandes got hurt. The Portuguese player won't play on Boxing Day and will probably be out until next month.
The Old Trafford team has been linked to Ruben Neves, Adam Wharton, and Elliot Anderson. Baleba is supposedly still on United's list. Now, the 21-year-old is talking about Mbeumo's leadership skills and his own.
"I think our team is great," Baleba said. We're going to play in the Africa Cup of Nations, and I think we'll do well.
Playing for Cameroon means a lot to me because I want to win something with my country. I love playing for my country. I want to win the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup with my country!
I've become a leader, but there are many leaders in the group, like Bryan Mbeumo.
We're all going to stick together and play our best. We're going to give everything for our country, but first, we have to believe in our team.
Baleba is hoping to play his best at the Africa Cup of Nations after a rough start to the season. Brighton's sporting director, Jason Ayto, thinks Baleba will get back to his peak soon, especially with United interested in him.
He's improving as the season progresses, he told the Athletic. We're excited to see him play for his country in the Africa Cup of Nations, and we're looking forward to his return.
Carlos is happy, strong, and energetic, which is great for us. I believe he'll get even better in the second half of the season.
Baleba and Mbeumo will play against Gabon in Cameroon's first game in Morocco and then play against Ivory Coast and Mozambique.
EX-CAPTAIN NEVILLE CLAIMS SUBSTITUTIONS MADE MANCHESTER UNITED "WORSE" AGAINST WOLVES
Gary Neville slams Ruben Amorim’s "weird" substitutions and tactical shifts after Manchester United's 1-1 draw with bottom-side Wolves.
Gary Neville said that the performance of Manchester United in their match against winless Wolves was ‘the baddest of the bad.’
United would have moved fourth in the league with a win at Old Trafford last night, although Wolves, who had two points in 18 games before kickoff, ended their record of 11 straight losses with a 1-1 draw.
Amorim’s team had been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by a League Two team, Grimsby, in August, but Neville was convinced that United had hit rock bottom in a game that could have been even more one-sided were it not for two important saves by Senne Lammens.
“That was the baddest of the bad," the former United captain declared on the Gary Neville podcast.
“They weren’t just booed off at the final whistle. The fans waited in the stadium to continue to boo them. They’ve gone backwards.”
United had won at Newcastle 1-0 on Boxing Day, despite being plagued by an injury list that already lacked skipper Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, and Matthijs de Ligt, as well as three players on African Cup of Nations duty.
But they remained flat right from the first whistle, and the header by Ladislav Krejci just before the half bottled Joshua Zirkzee's deflected shot.
Amorim’s formation choice of 3-4-3 was brought into focus once more as the Portuguese opted to go back to his preferred tactic of four at the back against Newcastle.
“This isn’t right. I’ve watched enough of United over the last five or six weeks to know what looks right and what isn’t right,” Neville had declared 20 minutes into his commentary on Sky Sports.
“Because, when I see that we go back (to three at the back) after five minutes tonight, I’m thinking, no, Ruben, why have you done that?
"The manager has to look at that and think, I got that wrong. I complicated it."
However, Amorim decided to substitute Zirkzee at halftime and brought on an 18-year-old Jack Fletcher, who made his third appearance at the senior level.
Regarding substitutions made by Amorim, Neville further added, “They made Manchester United worse. Every single substitution was ridiculous.”
‘If Zirkzee was injured, and it was a tactical substitution, that was a very poor one.’ But Zirkzee isn't Eric Cantona, not by a long shot, and he had to get out there for physicality, for presence, for experience.”
SEE LISANDRO MARTINEZ’S FURIOUS REACTION AFTER MAN UTD’S SHOCK WOLVES DRAW
Lisandro Martinez demands more after Man Utd’s 1-1 draw with bottom-placed Wolves. United ended 2025 sixth in the Premier League.
Stand-in captain Lisandro Martinez was mad that Manchester United dropped points against Wolves, who are at the bottom of the league.
United came into the last game of 2025 after a good win against Newcastle on Boxing Day and were expected to easily beat Wolves.
Joshua Zirkzee scored first for United, but they didn't take their chances. Ladislav Krejci's header tied the game for Wolves, 1-1.
It was only their third point in 19 games, and it stopped their 11-game losing streak. United fans booed at the end of the game.
When Martinez was asked if it felt like a disappointing point, he said, 100 percent.
We are very disappointed. We can't keep drawing or losing points at home. We have to win.
We want to be at the top, competing with the best.
We can't drop points in games like this. We just have to accept it and be hungry for the next game.
Martinez was captain again because Bruno Fernandes is still recovering from an injury.
When United coach Ruben Amorim was asked about injured players for the game against Leeds on Sunday, he didn't give much away. Leeds are really wanting to beat United for the first time since 2010.
Martinez said to MUTV, You can either make excuses, or you can be strong and say, 'We're dropping points, so we need to go for the next one and show what we can do.'
We need to work together and do the easy things to get the three points.
United is in sixth place in the league at the end of 2025, only two points behind Liverpool for the last Champions League spot. Liverpool has a game in hand.
They could be in a better position if they had been better in both boxes. Leeds has been playing well lately, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin doing great up front.
Martinez added, It's about us. I don't like to think about other teams.
I'm thinking about what we can do to get better as a team every day, and we have to learn from this game.