‘Bizarre’ deadline-day drama at United sees senior Red travel to undergo medical before being recalled by Wilcox

Tyrell Malacia has reportedly seen a deadline-day move to Turkey blocked at the 11th hour by Jason Wilcox.The news comes courtesy of Dutch journalist Joost Blaauwhof this afternoon, who has revealed that the Manchester United full-back had begun making his way to Istanbul to finalise his Old Trafford exit – before Wilcox ‘suddenly called him back’ and changed his mind on the deal.Such a ‘bizarre’ situation has left Malacia ‘frustrated’ and in ‘disbelief’. It is unconfirmed which specific club he was in talks with, given the host of sides based in Istanbul. NIEUWS: Bizarre deadlineday voor Tyrell Malacia. Linksback was onderweg naar Istanbul, toen Jason Wilcox (technisch directeur) hem tóch terugriep naar Manchester United. Beleidsmaker van gedachten veranderd, tot frustratie van Nederlander, die transfer wilde. Zo meer @VI_nl ❌🚨 pic.twitter.com/y115nzX7X7 — Joost Blaauwhof (@joost_blaauwhof) February 2, 2026Malacia has every right to push for a deadline-day move(Photo by @ManUtd on X/Twitter)From the fans’ perspective, it would’ve been fairer to allow the 26-year-old to embark on his desired venture, based on the fact that he won’t be playing a prominent role at United from now until the end of the season.He has yet to feature under Michael Carrick, and has played only once for the club all season via a two-minute cameo in the win over Newcastle United on Boxing Day. Aside from that, Malacia has been warming the bench, but has maintained his fitness levels by taking part in two matches with the Under-21s.Why game time is so hard to come by for Malacia(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)Even after Patrick Dorgu’s lengthy injury setback, it’s improbable that it will result in Malacia being restored to the starting XI, as Luke Shaw, as things stand, is overseeing an injury-free campaign and has started every Premier League fixture thus far.Should he be ruled out for any reason in the coming weeks, it’s likely Carrick would utilise either Diogo Dalot or Noussair Mazraoui on the left, both of whom have been consistently playing first-team football throughout the term.Malacia is now in the final four months of his contract with United, so he will be leaving for certain as a free agent come June.