Tyrell Malacia has made a splash after training with the Manchester United U-21 squad this month as the last remaining member of Ruben Amorim’s ‘bomb squad’ seeks to force his way back into the fold at Old Trafford, according to a report.
The Least Explosive ‘Bomb Squad’ Member
The ‘bomb squad’ – comprising Antony, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, along with Malacia – always felt like an unfair group for the defender to be lumped in with.
Many fans have posited it was Malacia’s close relationship with Rashford, who had a public fallout with Amorim in December, which may have led to his ostracization. But there have been no credible reports to suggest this, nor does United’s head coach appear the vindictive type.
Rather, Amorim simply felt there was no need for Malacia in his squad given the arrival of Patrick Dorgu in January and the implementation of a system – the 3-4-2-1 formation – which does not suit the Dutchman’s skillset.
United had come close to agreeing a loan exit on deadline day to Spanish side Elche, but the deal fell through and Malacia remained at Old Trafford.
Other avenues were explored where transfer markets remained open, such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, but nothing came to fruition.
However, if Amorim could have chosen one member of his notorious squad to remain at the club this summer, it likely would have been Malacia, given the 26-year-old’s relatively low profile in comparison to some of the other offenders.
Training with the U-21’s
In a press-conference before Saturday’s 2-1 win over Chelsea, Amorim revealed Malacia was training with the U-21 squad after the defender had been named as part of United’s Premier League squad earlier in the month.
And the former Feyenoord star has been making a strong impression with his younger teammates, with inside sources saying Malacia’s intensity has been “off the charts” with his attitude and work rate “an example for everybody else” – according to the Daily Mail.
The report states Malacia has in fact been training for the past two weeks with the U-21’s and is said to have “requested to be allowed to play for [them], but is yet to receive the green light.”
“Tyrell Malacia made just eight appearances for United last season, before heading out on loan to PSV Eindhoven in February. Malacia won the Eredivisie with PSV but was put into Amorim’s bomb squad when he returned from the loan
“Considering how Malacia has handled himself in training, players in the Under 21s group have been left surprised that he was even lumped in with the other players in the ‘bomb squad’, given he was always likely to provide the least amount of disruption or distraction.
“Malacia turned out once for the Under 21s last season on his return from injury, playing 45 minutes away to Huddersfield Town in the EFL Trophy. Now, with little prospect of being reintegrated into Amorim’s first-team group, Malacia has been pushing bosses to let him play in the academy side to build himself back up,” the report concludes.
But Amorim values hard work and commitment above all else as a coach, meaning if Malacia keeps up these impressive showings for the U-21 side, it’s impossible to rule out a return to the senior squad in the coming months.
His new teammates have certainly been impressed at least.
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.
