Tyrell Malacia came on to make a rare appearance for Manchester United. It did not go well.
If you were wondering why Tyrell Malacia is still a Manchester United player, you are likely not the only one.
Malacia was part of United’s ‘bomb squad’ last summer and he was the only player the club were unable to loan or sell.
There was no deal to be done in January either, although it is a little unclear if United decided to keep Malacia as ’emergency cover’.
An ’emergency’ called in the 85th minute against Newcastle with Noussair Mazraoui going off injured, after Luke Shaw had been substituted.
Malacia was called upon by Carrick, and was then turned inside out for Newcastle’s 90th minute winner from William Osula.
This was Malacia’s first appearance for United since December 26, when he played two minutes in the home win over Newcastle.
Ruben Amorim got away with it then. Michael Carrick was not so fortunate. Malacia’s lack of sharpness came back to bite United.
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We have taken a look at four different alternatives Michael Carrick could have turned to instead.
Would any of these have been better than Malacia? It’s hard to believe they would have fared worse…
Ayden Heaven
Ayden Heaven has been desperate for game time under Michael Carrick and this would have been an ideal time to bring him on.
The young centre-back would have defended with more resilience than Malacia did. Heaven is naturally left-footed and would have been ideal for this scenario.
He came on to help close out the win over Palace and he would have been a much sharper option to call on.
Is it fair to blame Tyrell Malacia for Newcastle’s winning goal?
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Godwill Kukonki
Young talent Godwill Kukonki was on the bench, and if you have seen him playing academy football this season you will understand why.
The teenager is physically grown like a first-teamer, and his height and power is matched by his technique and ability on the ball.
Kukonki is a centre-back but he has been playing at left-back at times in the academy this season, perfectly preparing him for this exact scenario. Not trusting youth was a mistake.
Amad to full-back and bring on Tyler Fletcher
There were other more creative options available. One was to shift winger Amad to play at full-back.
After his stint as wing-back under Ruben Amorim, Amad could have quite easily re-adapted for the final few minutes.
United could have brought on Tyler Fletcher in midfield to slot in and offer protection in front of Amad.
With United still trying to win the game against 10-man Newcastle we understand why this option was not chosen. Carrick went for the ‘actual left-back’ instead, keeping Amad in his preferred role.
After a first defeat, how are you feeling about Michael Carrick for the Man Utd job permanently?
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Diego Leon
It is a legitimate question why Tyrell Malacia is still at United and why he is being kept as cover.
United fans had hoped that young talent Diego Leon might be further along in his development after his summer move from Cerro Porteno.
Leon provided an assist for United in pre-season, flashing his potential. He is also a senior Paraguay international already.
It has been trickier since and Leon did not have a good game in the under-21s defeat on Monday night, a 2-0 loss to Chelsea.
But he will also learn a lot more by being around United’s first team squad. He likely would have been a lot sharper than Malacia in the closing stages against Newcastle.
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