Ruben Amorim must consider all four options on table for Erik ten Hag signing, Man Utd player is real head-scratcher

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Ruben Amorim faces a big question mark over his next decision with a Manchester United player that he inherited from Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.

Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United reign as Red Devils manager ended last October after a car-crash start to the 2024-25 Premier League season at Old Trafford.

The soon-to-be Bayer Leverkusen head coach’s sacking paved the way for Ruben Amorim to become United’s sixth manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era at the club.

Amorim left his role at Sporting CP last November and arrived at the Premier League club during the 2024-25 season and faced an immediate uphill task at United.

United were unable to turn around their league form under the ex-Sporting CP head coach and the Red Devils ended last season in 15th place in the Premier League.

Amorim has the summer window to begin laying down the early foundations for an overhaul of the United first-team squad ahead of the new Premier League season.

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Ruben Amorim’s first decision over Tyrell Malacia is the most difficult one for Man Utd to execute

Tyrell Malacia’s loan spell with PSV Eindhoven is now over and the Erik ten Hag signing is set to return to Old Trafford amid the uncertainty around his future.

The 25-year-old Dutch left-back left Old Trafford back in February and the Manchester United defender largely unimpressed with his spell at PSV Eindhoven.

PSV had the option to trigger a £8.5m buy option for Tyrell Malacia, but the Dutch club instead chose to send the player back after his contract expired on 30th June.

Ruben Amorim’s first – and immediate – solution for former PSV player Malacia would be to offload him to any suitor available in the summer transfer market.

However, the cricket noises are currently real around the transfer interest for Malacia and the United player hardly commands any value in the market.

Ruben Amorim’s second solution for forgotten Man Utd player Tyrell Malacia after his PSV spell ended

Tyrell Malacia first arrived at Old Trafford in 2022 after he was signed for an initial fee of £13m, including £1.7m in add-ons, from Dutch side Feyenoord.

However, the ex-Feyenoord player was often left playing second fiddle to Luke Shaw and was unable to establish himself as a starter under United manager Ten Hag.

United could choose to terminate Malacia’s contract and allow him to leave Old Trafford in the summer, but the Red Devils would take a hit on their finances.

Malacia is under contract with United until 2026 and the Red Devils full-back is earning a reported £75,000 per week on his current deal at Old Trafford.

United would likely need around £4m to pay off Malacia’s final year on his contract, but they would free up important wages for a new signing to arrive this summer.

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Man Utd manager Ruben Amorim has a third option of exploring another loan transfer for Tyrell Malacia

United could explore another potential loan move for Dutchman Malacia, who missed the entirety of the 2023-24 season at Old Trafford due to a serious knee injury.

Malacia’s injury woes at Old Trafford sidelined him for 17 months before the Netherlands international made his long-awaited return for United in 2024.

The United defender made 12 appearances during his loan spell at PSV last season and he did not score or assist in his largely forgettable run at the club.

It won’t be easy to find a loan suitor for Malacia this summer, but the Red Devils could have to subsidise his wages to fund a move away from Old Trafford.

Ruben Amorim could roll the dice with Tyrell Malacia with his fourth choice, even if it would be risky

United will not play European football in the 2025-26 season at Old Trafford and the Red Devils will play in fewer matches in the forthcoming campaign under Amorim.

Amorim’s focus will no doubt be on seeing a major turnaround in form and results for United in the Premier League table after a woeful showing in the 2024-25 campaign.

The FA Cup will be important silverware on the agenda, but the League Cup could be where Malacia is able to secure some minutes for United next season.

Amorim must focus on using all of his squad options for the 2025-26 season and Malacia could find himself playing a supporting role in the League Cup campaign.