Eleventh in the Premier League, Manchester United is having a complicated start to the season and has had to deal with a lack of influence since the start of the season with rookie Leny Yoro (18 years old). However, a player who could have been part of this team’s executives has been out for a long time, it is Tyrell Malacia. Young Dutch prospect revealed at Feyenoord, the 25-year-old left back joined Manchester United in the summer of 2022 for a check for 15 million euros. Subtleted under the nose of Olympique Lyonnais, Tyrell Malacia arrived to compete with Luke Shaw in the left lane of the Red Devils and delivered a satisfactory first exercise with 39 appearances where he provided an alternative to the English player.
From ? Absolutely nothing since he has not played since June 14, 2023 and a match against Croatia in the Nations League with the Netherlands. We have to go back to May 28, 2023 against Fulham for his last official match with the Red Devils. Affected in the knee since the preseason of the 2023/2024 financial year, Tyrell Malacia simply could not participate in the previous exercise. However, the hope of seeing him return has arisen on several occasions, notably in December 2023, but this has not evolved positively. Last March, Erik ten Hag took stock: “He had problems during his rehabilitation. It’s taking too long, it’s bad for him. It’s bad for us. But now we have reached a milestone and it is positive: he will return to the field soon. I don’t think it will be long before he returns to team practice. On the other hand, I think it will be difficult for him to be available this season.
Towards a second blank season?
While the 2024/2025 season has already started for a while, Tyrell Malacia has still not put on his crampons again. Even worse, he had a big scare during a road accident last September with Marcus Rashford where he spent 24 hours under observation in the emergency room. More fear than harm for the player who has since returned to individual training and is trying to get back on the pitch. Erik ten Hag was even positive about it a month ago: “of course we want to motivate him to come back, but it’s not so easy when you’re away for so long. He’s been coming back for more than a season now since his injury, but he’s working really hard, he’s progressing really well at the moment. He’s making great progress, so we think that, in a short period of time, we can expect him to participate in training with the team, and he’s a talent, it’s natural. I also hope he can return to the field soon.»
More than a month has passed since these statements and the Tyrell Malacia case continues to fuel speculation. Contacted by the Manchester Evening NewsBen Dinnery, Premier League injury specialist expects to see Tyrell Malacia experience another white season: “I think it will be integrated gradually. I think Manchester United are probably looking at around a 17 month absence. I’m sure it was around July last year, the last time we saw him. We’re approaching 15 or 16 months now. Like I said, he could be in the first team and training with the group to gain experience, but will he fight regularly to be a starter in this first team? It’s very unlikely, especially if some injured players return to this United team.»
For Ben Dinnery, the return of Tyrell Malacia will have to be meticulous so as not to spoil the recovery work carried out so far. As a result, Tyrell Malacia should not be able to properly defend his chances this season and have very little or no playing time: “reintegration into the team must be handled very carefully. His opportunities within this first team and certainly in terms of minutes will likely be limited anyway, simply based on the personnel available within this United squad. It could be that we see him on the fringes of that first team, to really feel like he’s back in that environment and finally get a really solid pre-season under his belt in 2025/2026 and then really fight and fight for a place on this team.» The Tyrell Malacia mystery remains unsolved.
