One new Manchester United summer recruit whose early contributions have been swept under the rug in recent weeks is Tyrell Malacia.
The Dutchman’s arrival was not filled with the usual hype and it happened so quickly that fans were shocked. But the Feyenoord full-back was a specific request from Erik ten Hag, who was a big fan from his days at Ajax.
And though his start was slow, he soon showed his ability on the pitch and made five consecutive Premier League starts following Luke Shaw’s horror show in the first two games.
But a disappointing performance against Manchester City saw him lose his place and he has since had to settle for an appearance at an unknown right-back position in the league.
Malacia was solid initially
Heroics on the field aside, Malacia has helped Shaw tremendously to regain his hunger and appetite. She has pushed English all the way, which has consistently brought out the best in Shaw.
He has also shown his versatility, playing right back on a couple of occasions and even acting as center back for his team.
To be successful, every club needs team players who are willing to sacrifice for the good of the team and who never complain about the cards they receive.
I have to call this boy fair play.
Never started a match before WC even when available Erik played Malacia RB vs Fulham.
The boy didn’t complain, he didn’t even say a bad word. He kept training hard every day and now he is delivering at a high level. Team player.???? pic.twitter.com/GeoxgxPxHj
– ???????????? ????????????’???? ???????????????? ✍???????????? (@TenHagBalI) December 28, 2022
Ten Hag has spoken about his love for players who have the positional awareness and discipline to fill multiple positions on a team.
Despite being selected in the Dutch squad for the World Cup, the 23-year-old was unable to play for a single minute and returned fresh for the club.
He has started both post-World Cup games for United in his favored left-back role and has impressed with his ferocious displays.
And the Dutch full-back revealed how frustrating the experience of being left out of the starting eleven was.
Malacia making a difference both on the field and in training
“Of course it’s difficult when you don’t have minutes,” he told ViaPlay, broadcast by Voetbal Primeur.
“You keep looking forward to every game and you give your best in training. You try to support the team as much as possible, but it’s definitely difficult.
“I want to play every game, so yeah, it’s definitely hard when you sit there for so many weeks and don’t play. Sure, I’ve had a moment where I was done for a while.
“But you always have to recover. You never know if you have to be there. You always have to be ready.”
Malacia have made a total of 17 appearances in all competitions, starting 14 of them. Not the worst stats to have in your debut Premier League season.
And now that he’s back, hopefully Malacia can push Shaw all the way, which can only be a positive for United going forward.
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