- The defender’s last action on the pitch was with the national team last summer.
- Erik ten Hag has revealed that the 24-year-old has not trained once during the season
- Have Chelsea offered Manchester United a way out of Erik ten Hag’s obscurity through the departure of Mauricio Pochettino? – Listen to the It’s all starting! Podcast
Erik ten Hag has revealed that a forgotten Manchester United defender has not trained once this season due to his battle with a knee meniscus injury.
The Red Devils have been hampered by defensive injuries this season and this has resulted in Casemiro deputizing at centre-back in recent weeks.
United have been short-handed at left back and both Malacia and starter Luke Shaw spent much of the season on the sidelines.
Malacia, 24, has not played a single minute this season and the £13m defender’s last action came against the Netherlands against Croatia in the UEFA Nations League semi-final last June.
Ten Hag said speaking to a half-Dutch. International Voetbal: ‘Tyrell Malacia didn’t play a single minute of football this season. In fact, he wasn’t even on the training field for a single moment. We hired him as our backup for Luke Shaw.
Erik ten Hag has revealed that a forgotten Manchester United defender has not trained all season
Malacia, 24, has not played a single minute this season, his last action being last June
The Athletic reported last month that Malacia went against United’s advice when they decided to have knee surgery last summer after discomfort in pre-season training.
United proposed a surgeon in London, but Malacia wanted the operation to be performed by a surgeon of her own choosing in the Netherlands, they say.
The club accepted his request and the operation was carried out outside the club’s supervision.
However, in the autumn, as Malacia slowly regained fitness, scans revealed that small fragments of cartilage remained around the meniscus.
Malacia was given the option to undergo a second operation to remove the fragments or continue with her rehabilitation program.
The decision was made to go under the same surgeon’s knife again in November, but this time with United representatives supervising him.
However, this meant Malacia had to start his rehabilitation from scratch, with United announcing in December that he had suffered a “setback” but would “return to action early next year.”
Ten Hag claims Luke Shaw (pictured) is the ‘best left-back in the world’ despite his injury problems
Ten Hag has said publicly that he understood Malacia would be able to return in January, hence the decision to shorten Sergio Reguilón’s loan.
But Malacia is yet to return, leaving United having to field emergency left-backs with Shaw still out.
Meanwhile, Ten Hag has claimed Shaw is “the best left-back in the world” but insisted the Englishman will never be able to play a full season again in his career.
‘Luke Shaw is the best left back in the world. This boy is so good. But he suffered a horrible injury at the beginning of his career and because of this he will NEVER be able to play 60 games a season,” Ten Hag said.
