Former Man Utd defender Tyrell Malacia departed the club upon the expiry of his contract at the end of last season.
Tyrell Malacia left United this summer.(Image: 2026 Manchester United FC)
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Former Manchester United defender Tyrell Malacia plans to address "wild rumours" about his time at the club once he retires. Malacia departed United at the end of last season following the expiry of his contract.
Michael Carrick gave a nod to Malacia during his end-of-season speech at Old Trafford, and he was presented with a framed shirt alongside his family on the pitch.
United blocked Malacia from leaving in the January transfer window. He was ready to fly to Turkey to complete a move away, but director of football Jason Wilcox told Malacia he would be staying at the club for the remainder of the season.
Patrick Dorgu picked up a hamstring injury, and United believed they would be short at left-back if they allowed Malacia to leave.
The Dutchman was left frustrated, and his summer exit finally brought down the curtain on a tumultuous four years in Manchester, in which he underwent two knee surgeries and missed 517 days of action.
Malacia recently spoke to ESPN in the Netherlands for his first interview since his departure. “I experienced beautiful things there, and less beautiful ones," he reflected.
"I am certainly grateful that I was able to play for such a big club. Now I am focusing on the future. It is a closed chapter in my career. I am happy and curious to see what comes next.”
When it was put to Malacia that his comments left room for "gossip", he responded: "You have to look ahead. That is what I am doing now. Why don't I want to respond to all those wild rumours? I don't want to feed the spreaders of them. And it didn't bother me that much...
"I am healthy and can still play football. So what is hard? I have a younger sister, I am a role model. I have to show her that I need to be strong. That is what I do it all for."
The report added that Malacia intends to open up about the situation after his playing career.
Speaking about his next move as a free agent, he said: "I am healthy, blessed, and happy. I have never been this fit. My body does everything I want.
"I don't want to reveal too much about it. Things are in the works, though. We'll just have to see. I just want to play good football, enjoy the game. I'm a person who relies on my feelings, the feeling has to be right. Then I can fly again. I want to show what I can do."
Malacia did not rule out targeting a return to the Dutch national team. "Definitely. The European Championship is coming up, and so is the [2030] World Cup. Those are certainly things I'm looking forward to," he said.