“Important to be very clear”: PL boss gives honest assessment of United target’s performances this season

Manchester United take on Brighton and Hove Albion in a crunch tie this Saturday afternoon at Old Trafford. Carlos Baleba speculation It was widely reported during the summer that United were keen on Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba. The Red Devils enquired about the player but were promptly rebuffed by the Seagulls who had no intention to sell. The Cameroonian is still said to be of interest with Bryan Mbeumo reportedly encouraging the player to swap the south coast for Manchester. Plans for the summer United have not given up hope on signing Baleba in the future though and have reportedly ear-marked this summer as an ideal time to launch a move for the player. Baleba was said to be keen on making a move in the summer to Old Trafford and has clearly allowed the speculation on his future to affect his performances so far. He has been a shadow of his usual self this season but will want to change all of that when he faces United later on today. Fabian Hurzeler has his say In his pre-match press conference, in comments carried by The Daily Mail, Brighton manager Hurzeler has claimed that Baleba must rise above the noise on Saturday evening. The German commented, “for me, it’s always important that I’m very transparent with the players. I have a very good relationship with Carlos. We speak regularly, we are in touch. I always share my thoughts about his development and my thoughts about his performance.” The 32 year old manager also added, “it’s important to be very clear about what you expect from players on the pitch, off the pitch. And it’s important to build relationships where you can criticise or give personal feedback they might not be happy about, but they understand the intention behind it.” He finally claimed, “Carlos won’t get better if he only gets compliments and claps from outside. I think he will get better if he has a safe environment, but also honest feedback where he knows what he needs to improve. That’s where we try to support him and make him better.” United welcome Baleba and Brighton to Old Trafford later today at 17:30 BST. Featured image Mike Hewitt via Getty Images – The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.