After a gruelling 500-day injury battle and a quiet Old Trafford exit, the Dutch defender breaks his silence on "beautiful" moments and the mysteries surrounding his departure.
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It was a very interesting summer for Manchester United in 2022, but it seemed the Red Devils were planning for the future when they captured the signature of Dutch full-back Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord for £15 million.
This seemed a very shrewd signing for United, and it was clear the Red Devils were preparing for the future, being aware of an ageing Luke Shaw and an overall lack of depth in that area of the pitch.
Malacia had a fine season in the Netherlands before coming to the Premier League, being able to steer his side to third in the Eredivisie, and also being one of the best tacklers and interceptors in the league.
It was an impressive start for the Dutchman in his debut campaign for United, being able to make an impressive 39 appearances, which were scattered across the Premier League, Europa League and domestic competitions.
However, in the season after, things couldn't have played out more differently for Malacia, being only able to make eight appearances, and in January, a serious knee injury ruled him out for all of five hundred days, missing seventy games for the Red Devils.
With his comeback from such a long injury, followed by a brief six-month loan spell back to the Netherlands at PSV Eindhoven this time. Despite not playing his best football, he helped the Dutch side win the league, playing 12 games during this spell.
Yet again, he was left frustrated after another quiet year at Old Trafford, only managing a hapless fifteen minutes of football this year.
Speaking to ESPN, Malacia has spoken for the first time since his departure from United. He looks at his time with United with highs and lows. “I experienced beautiful things there, and less beautiful ones”, said Malacia.
Malacia also touched on the "wild rumours" that never left his side during his Old Trafford tenure. The Dutchman experienced several bad injuries which kept him out for over 12 months.
"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," said the Dutch international.
However, Malacia did hint that after his playing career is over, he will go into more detail about what happened during his time at the Red Devils, possibly suggesting that something controversial took place during his four-year stint.
It is one of the strangest signings that United have had in their recent history. With Malacia having spent so much time out and having two knee surgeries, it is understandable that United knew there was a risk that he wouldn't be the same player that he was before.
When Patrick Dorgu had his hamstring injury this year against Arsenal, it felt like a real opportunity for Malacia, but it only led to more importance and pressure being piled on Luke Shaw.