Tyrell Malacia left Man United in the mid-season transfer window to join PSV Eindhoven on loan for the remainder of the season and the MEN spoke do a Dutch football expert for his verdict.
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Donning PSV's white away kit, Tyrell Malacia stands with his hands on his hips.
Tyrell Malacia joined PSV in February.(Image: Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images.)
Tyrell Malacia was the very first signing of the Erik ten Hag era at Manchester United in July 2022, arriving from Feyenood for an initial fee of £12.9million.
United went into the 2022 summer transfer window with the ambition of rebuilding their squad after a wretched 2021/22 campaign. Ten Hag's appointment marked the beginning of a new chapter and fresh blood was soon added to the squad.
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Malacia was the first of six first-team signings United made in the 2022 summer transfer window, with Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Antony and Martin Dubravka all following him through the door.
Brought in to challenge Luke Shaw for the left-back berth, Malacia ended his first season at United with a respectable 39 appearances to his name, helping the club win the Carabao Cup and finish inside the Premier League's top-four. However, he missed the whole of the following season with a serious knee injury, meaning his United career stalled.
He eventually returned in November 2024 and stored eight appearances under his belt before being sent out on loan in the mid-season window, returning to the Netherlands to join PSV Eindhoven. He has made eight appearances thus far, making six starts.
To develop an understanding of how his loan spell in the Netherlands has gone thus far, the Manchester Evening News asked Michael Statham, a Dutch football expert for Football Oranje, for some insight on the defender's progress.
Addressing his start to life back in the Netherlands, Statham told the Manchester Evening News: "Malacia has had a mixed start since arriving in Eindhoven in January. Much like his team PSV, who have not been the same team since returning from the winter break, losing ground in the title race to Ajax, being knocked out of the Dutch cup in disappointing fashion, and an embarrassing Champions League exit to Arsenal.
"Malacia began by making a few substitute appearances and now is making whole 90-minute games as he begins to re-find his form. One particular highlight was when he came off the bench against Juventus in the Champions League and he was technically very good.
"He was a threat attacking down the left side, and he generally just looked very lively, like when he used to play for Feyenoord three years ago."
Tyrell Malacia in possession for PSV Eindhoven.
Tyrell Malacia is attempting to revive his career at PSV Eindhoven.
Following his return from injury, Malacia, 25, struggled to get to grips with United head coach Ruben Amorim's 3-4-2-1 system that relies heavily on wing-backs providing width.
The Dutchman is a traditional full-back and his chances of forcing his way into Amorim's long-term plans at Old Trafford are highly unlikely.
Statham continued: "I don't think Malacia fits this style as he is generally just a left-back. He has played here most of his career.
"He loves to overlap a left-winger when he gets forward rather than be relied upon for the attacking play down one whole side of the pitch."
With a long-term future at United unlikely under Amorim, the Dutchman is likely to be offloaded permanently this summer. However, whether PSV show their hand to sign the loanee on a permanent basis could rest on the future of head coach Peter Bosz.
"I think that is a possibility [PSV will sign him permanently], but a lot will depend on the future of their under-pressure manager Peter Bosz," Statham added.
"Should Bosz remain, we may see an attempt to sign Malacia permanently as he suits the very-attacking style of play that PSV currently employ. I would imagine that his high wage would also be a stumbling block. I do expect Malacia to move on in the summer."