How Tyrell Malacia fared on comeback appearance for Man Utd U21 after 17 months out injured

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Tyrell Malacia was back in action in Manchester United colours for the first time in 17 months on Tuesday night during the U21’s

It was an encouraging performance.

The Dutch left-back has not been seen since July 2023 when he picked up an injury in the opening days of pre-season.

Tyrell Malacia was heavily involved for Manchester United and put in a performance which suggests he has not lost his ability in his unbelievably long lay-off.

Victor Musa was among the goals for Travis Binnion’s side in a 4-1 defeat which saw more negatives than positives.

Meanwhile, Sekou Kone’s night was cut short after a bad tackle, which saw him limp off the pitch just before half-time. Malacia also didn’t last into the second half, here is how the returning full-back performed.

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Tyrell Malacia’s performance vs Huddersfield

Malacia only lasted until half-time on his return to football, but he got through it unscathed in what will be viewed as a real success by the club.

Malacia’s 43-touch display was strong and sharp considering how long he had been out injured.

• 45 minutes
• 43 touches
• 30/32 passes completed (94%)
• 2 clearances
• 1 interception
• 1 tackle
• 1/3 duels won

It may have been against the opposition he will have been expected to be better than but almost a year and a half out means it is an impressive display.

We expect he will make a couple more U21 performances before getting near the first team as the club will be very reluctant to risk getting him injured once again.

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Does Malacia fit into Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United?

Malacia may have only just made his comeback appearance, but with no senior left-back fit we cannot help but ponder his suitability to Ruben Amorim’s tactical style.

With Amorim likely to implement his 3-4-3 formation, we could see Malacia struggle to find a place in the set-up considering he is not the all-out attacking wing-back winger which Amorim favours in these roles.

However, there is a chance Amorim may deploy slightly more conservative players in these roles, to begin with at least to add to the defensive structure.

Malacia will need to hope this is the case, as otherwise he is not blessed with the suitability for centre-back as Luke Shaw is.