Exclusive: Man United legend names the £70m signing who could fix club's shambolic defence
Manchester United’s defence is struggling - in an exclusive interview, a legendary former United star explains what’s missing.
Given the optimistic note on which Manchester United ended the 2025/26 campaign, their struggles since the summer have come as something of an unpleasant surprise to their supporters – after the first four matches of the Premier League season, Michael Carrick’s side have just one win and have already conceded seven goals.
Legendary defender Gary Pallister, in the second part of an exclusive interview with 3 Added Minutes, discussed his former side’s struggles at the back – and why he believes that one of their summer signings could be the key to improved performances down the line.
Pallister – Baleba’s ‘aggression’ could be crucial for Manchester United
Although Manchester United kept their local rivals at bay for long periods during Sunday’s Manchester Derby, they were ultimately unable to earn a first clean sheet of the Premier League season – or to take a point against a side who played the majority of the match with 10 men.
While United’s defeat owed much to VAR’s deeply controversial decision to allow Erling Haaland’s goal – a decision that Pallister described as “embarrassing” – there was still a sense of disappointment that Carrick’s side failed to contain Manchester City despite their numerical advantage.
“There’s obviously work to be done,” Pallister told 3 Added Minutes. “We’ve conceded what, seven goals in four games now? It’s something they’ll be looking at, but it’s not just the back four – it’s the protection you get from your midfield and your wider players.
“Defending’s not all about just defenders, you know. I played with players like Bryan Robson, Paul Ince and Roy Keane who could do jobs at both ends of the pitch, as desperate not to be scored against as they are to score. Do we really have that kind of player?”
Much of Manchester United’s work in the summer transfer window was focussed on refurbishing the midfield following the departure of Casemiro. The club spent an estimated £148m to sign Carlos Baleba, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, but despite the expenditure, United’s midfield has yet to find its feet.
Of the three new signings, only two have yet been able to take to the field. Baleba, bought from Brighton & Hove Albion for a fee which could rise to £70m, is recovering from an ankle injury and has yet to play for his new club – and Pallister, who won nine major trophies during a hugely successful spell at Old Trafford, believes that the Cameroon international could offer Carrick some qualities that have been absent so far this season.
“Baleba is Premier League proven. He’s got legs, he’s got aggression and I think over the few years we’ve maybe had a lack of that at United. So him coming in I think will be good.
“I think the kind of ferocity that he brings is much-needed in the side. I’m looking forward to seeing him in a United shirt.”
Baleba endured a difficult 2025/26 season after he was denied the opportunity to join Manchester United last summer, but prior to his recent struggles he was among the most promising and destructive young defensive midfielders in the game. Whether he can rediscover his best form and become a modern version of Robson, Ince or Keane, however, remains to be seen.
Why Man Utd’s defence is struggling at the start of the season
While Pallister believes that the work being done in front of Manchester United’s back line is a core reason for their defensive struggles, he also felt that their centre-halves were struggling to find the kind of form necessary to sustain the momentum from the end of last season.
“It [the defence] probably has been a bit of an Achilles’ heel,” Pallister said. “We’ve had players in and out of form. I think [Lisandro] Martínez is still yet to discover the sort of form he had in his first season, and we’ve got two young lads in Ayden [Heaven] and Leny Yoro, you’re going to get up and down games from them.
“It’s a collective thing. The set pieces, too, we could be better with that. We conceded an awful lot last year.”
Manchester United conceded 14 goals from set plays in the Premier League last season, twice as many as eventual champions Arsenal – and have already allowed two such goals in the current campaign.
The defending from open play hasn’t been perfect either, however, and Pallister also discussed the form and development of the two young centre-backs currently serving as back-ups to Harry Maguire and Martínez – Heaven and £60m signing Yoro.
“It’s what you’d expect from young players, they have their highs and lows,” Pallister said. “I think Leny at the end of his first year was starting to look the part and then going into the next season, he wasn’t in the same form.
“Heaven’s the same. They’re still learning, they’re still young, but they’re both talented, you can see that. It’s down to them to be able to push themselves into the team. They’ve got to grasp it, learn on the job and force their way into Michael’s thoughts.
“They’ve got [first-team coach Jonathan] Woodgate in there, who I’m sure will be talking to his centre-backs. He was a fantastic player and probably nobody’s better to talk to than Jonathan about defending.”
Between Baleba’s arrival and the talent coming through, there is plenty of cause for optimism at Old Trafford despite the slow start to the season – but as Sunday’s Manchester Derby demonstrated, there is still a gulf between United and the Premier League’s best teams, and tightening up the defence could go some way towards bridging that gap.