Man Utd's Tyrell Malacia spent the second half of last season on loan and has been looking for a new club this summer.
Tyrell Malacia pictured at the end of last season. (Image: 2024 Soccrates Images B.V.)
Does anyone remember Tyrell Malacia? He's still on the books at Manchester United.
Malacia was placed into the 'bomb squad' in July, alongside Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Jadon Sancho, but it felt slightly harsh to categorise Malacia in that group.
The Dutchman has not worked his ticket like Rashford, Garnacho and Sancho. Malacia is simply not good enough for United. Ruben Amorim looked at Malacia after his arrival from Sporting Lisbon in November and quickly decided he should look for a new club in the January transfer window.
Malacia was shipped out to PSV Eindhoven on loan and he made just six starts in all competitions during that stint, which confirmed ahead of the official decision that PSV would not be signing him permanently.
PSV won the Eredivisie last season, so perhaps it was unrealistic for Malacia to break into their side after joining in the middle of the campaign, but Malacia's performances since his return from a serious knee injury last season suggest he might need to lower his sights for his next move.
Interest has been thin on the ground in Malacia since his delayed return to Carrington. The left-back has been training on his own and his agent is working to arrange an exit before the transfer deadline.
Malacia's dream of succeeding at Old Trafford is over and he must be given a degree of sympathy because a knee injury curtailed his time in Manchester. Would Malacia have been a success at United without that injury? Maybe not, but it was a challenging period and he's probably just happy to be playing again.
The 26-year-old initially played through the injury at the end of the 2022/2023 season. Injections were used to get through games. Malacia then underwent surgery but required further surgery after a botched first attempt.
Malacia pictured leaving Carrington with Sancho.(Image: Eamonn and James Clarke)
After 517 days on the sidelines, Malacia made his return for the Under-21s against Huddersfield in November, and an interview about his recovery was published on the following day.
"We spoke to the guy who did my [first knee] surgery and then we made the decision: we had to do something else. I had to start my rehab over, basically… I had one day to be disappointed," Malacia told The Athletic.
"Then I had to be like, ‘OK, we go again’. I think at the end of the day, everything I did, even if it was a mistake or something, I won’t even see it as a mistake because it’s a lesson.
"I think everything in life is already written for me. I had to go through this whole process to be where I’m at now, so I wouldn’t do anything different.
“You can ask the guys at the club — every time I came in, even though I was feeling s***, sometimes they were like, ‘Oh, your energy is so good, you give me energy again… how is he still smiling, or how is he still working after this and this happened to him?’.
“Of course, I’ve had some moments where I was like, ‘Oh, I’m getting tired of this’ but there’s no way I could ever give up. It’s not my system, it’s not in our family."
Malacia was on a long road to recovery, but when he returned, he was not provided with respite because he faced an even bigger challenge: fighting for his future at Old Trafford.
The defender was recently spotted training with a private coach at non-league club Trafford FC. He has trained alone at Carrington over the last month and was recently pictured leaving the training ground with Sancho.
Malacia's time at the club hasn't worked out as hoped and all parties are hoping the chapter is closed this summer. United want to arrange a permanent departure and Malacia will be hoping for the same.