For Malacia, this U-turn represents a crushing professional setback. After losing a significant chunk of his career to a complex meniscus injury and subsequent surgeries, he desperately needs match rhythm. Staying at United to sit in the stands or play occasional minutes for the Under-21s does nothing to restore his value or his confidence.
The Turkish transfer window remains open until February 6, so there may be a faint glimmer of hope that this deal could be resurrected if cooler heads prevail in the coming days. However, the nature of the blockage, suggests a definitive decision has been made to keep him.
Unless the situation changes rapidly, Malacia faces the prospect of spending the next five months rotting on the bench at Old Trafford, a "prisoner" of a contract that the club suddenly decided was too valuable to release. It is a cruel twist for a player who simply wanted the chance to play football again.