According to a report from The Athletic, Manchester United left-back Tyrell Malacia is unlikely to play until next season as he continues to struggle with a knee meniscus injury.
Tyrell Malacia, 24, has not played for his country and club in 2023/24, with his last appearance coming for the Netherlands against Croatia in the UEFA Nations League semi-final last June. His last outing in a Manchester United shirt was the final game of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign - a 2-1 win over Fulham at Old Trafford on May 28.
After the club announced that Tyrell Malacia would not be a part of the pre-season tour, he hasn’t been spotted since. The Athletic states that the left-back rejected Man United’s choice of a knee surgeon in the summer of 2023 when both parties decided that he would undergo surgery on his knee after experiencing discomfort in pre-season training.
The club had recommended a surgeon in London but Malacia wanted to carry out the operation by his trusted surgeon in the Netherlands. Man United obliged and the operation was carried out in his hometown. However, scans revealed a few months later that ‘small fragments of cartilage remained around the meniscus’ which was the result of a botched surgery. The report adds the decision was taken in November to operate the 24-year-old’s affected knee again and remove the remaining fragments with the same surgeon, but this time under the club’s watchful eyes.
This meant Malacia had to start his rehabilitation right from scratch, with the Red Devils announcing in December that he had suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee issue but would return to action early in 2024. This led to Erik ten Hag allowing the club to cut short Sergio Reguilon’s loan from Tottenham Hotspur, hoping that the Netherlands international would be fit to return in January.
But Malacia still hasn’t returned and will not play for Man United this season. It is reported that while the Dutchman is due to return to Carrington soon, he will continue working with an external specialist and travelling between Manchester, Barcelona and the Netherlands until he is fully ready to rejoin team training.
Let’s hope Malacia doesn’t suffer any more setbacks during rehab and heals fully to travel with the squad for the pre-season tour in late June.