Manchester United are desperate to shift the last remaining member of Ruben Amorim’s ‘bomb squad’ as time runs out to do so.
‘Bomb squad’
The United stars included in the ‘bomb squad’ group this summer – players with no future at Old Trafford – were Antony, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Tyrell Malacia.
The group were made to train separately from the first-team squad and excluded from the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.
But, as the transfer window slammed shut, only one member remained without a new home – Malacia.
Antony returned to Real Betis in a deal worth £21.6 million while Garnacho completed a £40m switch to Premier League rival Chelsea. Rashford and Sancho joined Barcelona and Aston Villa on season-long loans.
Malacia had come close to agreeing his own loan – to La Liga side Elche – but the deal fell through on deadline day and the Dutch defender was left as the sole survivor from Amorim’s group of undesirables.
An Escape to Turkey
Despite the English window closing on September 1, several markets elsewhere in world football remain open, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Malacia has been linked with moves to clubs in both countries over the summer and United continued to actively explore options for the 26-year-old defender to leave.
Turkish hotshot Eyüpspor – currently 10th in the Super Lig – have made the most concrete advances with a loan proposal.
Reports in Turkey contended this deal had been accepted by the Red Devils, though Fabrizio Romano was quick to stress no agreement had been reached – with good reason.
Alex Crook (talkSPORT) reveals Malacia is “not overly keen” on the move, describing the Dutchman as “determined to cling on” to his wage packet at Old Trafford.
The Turkish transfer window will close on September 12, giving United less than 36 hours to convince Malacia to change his mind.
Amorim has previously stressed he would welcome back any ‘bomb squad’ member who did not leave United this summer.
But if that player is actively turning down first-team opportunities elsewhere to keep cashing his cheque in Manchester, the Portuguese coach will be far less likely to maintain this position.
Featured image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
