Chelsea are hardly the model club for Man Utd to look up to, but Raheem Sterling’s latest exit has just posed an uncomfortable question for Ineos.
Ineos have largely brought a culture of accountability and high performance at the club, barring a few misses, with Ruben Amorim being one.
They have shifted players off the wage bill who might have been given contract extensions in the name of “protecting their book value”.
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However, Raheem Sterling’s latest ruthless Chelsea exit has just highlighted a forgotten problem at Old Trafford that Ineos missed the mark on.
Tyrell Malacia trains with Manchester United
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Man Utd needed to act like Chelsea on Tyrell Malacia
Before going into the argument, it must be clear that this is not meant to be a hit-piece on Tyrell Malacia, who has had immensely bad luck at United.
Even playing football at a professional level after suffering brutal injuries that kept him out of the game for more than a year is commendable.
However, United are a performance-based club at the end of the day, which is why he was also part of the exiled list of players to start the season.
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The transfer window came and went, but United didn’t find a buyer for Malacia, much like the situation Chelsea found themselves in with Sterling.
However, while Sterling was completely separated from the group, Malacia was reinstated, which is the right thing to do ethically.
The problem comes with what’s happening now, as Chelsea have just made Sterling free to sign with other clubs by terminating his contract.
United, on the other hand, are not just holding onto Malacia, but actively hampering the development of a player in their youth ranks.
United’s Malacia stance is hurting Diego Leon
United might want to “do the right thing” by Malacia by paying him for the length of his contract, but they are not actually helping him.
Malacia is struggling with the U21s, so it’s not like giving him match fitness will bring up suitors for his signature.
His contract expires in the summer, so the best thing for Malacia would actually be to let him go by repeating what Chelsea did with Sterling.
It’s important because Malacia’s U21 stints are hampering Diego Leon, who’s having to sit on the bench as Malacia starts.
Leon needs minutes to get accustomed to English football, but he’s sitting behind a player who won’t be at the club in six months.
The best way to move forward here is to terminate Malacia’s contract if he’s not able to secure a move away by the end of this January window.
Otherwise, United are wasting six months of not just one, but two entities – Malacia stuck with the U21s, and Leon’s development getting stalled.
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