Tyrell Malacia is set for face-to-face talks with Ruben Amorim at Carrington today over a potential return to first-team training, according to a report.
Last Man Standing
Malacia, 26, was designated as part of Amorim’s ‘bomb squad’ over the summer – a group of five players, along with Antony, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford who were all made to train separately and excluded from the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.
The fullback spent the second half of last season on loan at PSV Eindhoven, where the Dutch side won the title on a dramatic final day of the Eredivisie, after falling down the pecking order following Amorim’s arrival last November.
But PSV chose not to activate the buy option in the loan move and Malacia returned to Old Trafford at the beginning of the summer.
Amorim had no use for him, however, and he was included as part of the Portuguese coach’s infamous group, perhaps unfairly given the reasoning behind some of the other member’s inclusion.
United actively looked to find a new club for Malacia, as they did with every player in the ‘bomb squad’. But takers were hard to come by for an undersized defender with a history of serious knee injuries and a below par loan in the Eredivisie.
And, after a deadline day loan to LaLiga side Elche fell through, Malacia was the sole member of the group who remained at Old Trafford.
Amorim had stressed during the summer that he would reintegrate any players who did not secure exits – and the 40-year-old coach is likely to have been pleased it was Malacia out of all the options to have remained, given the Dutchman was undoubtedly the least explosive member of the ‘bomb squad’.
Malacia has been training with the U-21’s this month as he pushes to get match fit after a disrupted summer. And his younger teammates are said to have been impressed with his application and attitude in training, with sources describing his intensity as “off the charts“.
A Meeting with Amorim
Amorim has always valued players who demonstrate high levels of commitment to the team and professionalism, particularly in training – just ask Rashford and Garnacho.
It makes sense, therefore, that Malacia’s impressing showings in sessions with the U-21’s have led to the Portuguese coach opening the door for the 26-year-old to return to first-team training, United expert Andy Mitten reveals.
Mitten (The National) states Malacia will meet face-to-face with Amorim at Carrington with a “view to returning to the first team group.”
But Mitten also reveals the defender has been “training alone at Trafford FC in England’s eighth tier of football” with his last session with the amateur side coming last Friday. Malacia made a “financial donation” to the club to reciprocate, which was “appreciated” by Trafford FC officials.
United’s plan is to “bring Malacia back into training with the first team, adding strength to Amorim’s squad,” Mitten concludes.
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.
