Tyrell Malacia’s absence due to mental struggles as well as physical | OneFootball

Tyrell Malacia is reported to be experiencing mental health struggles as the left-back’s protracted absence from the Manchester United first-team continues.

The 24-year-old has not featured for the Reds since May last year, when he helped  Erik ten Hag’s side to a crucial 2-1 win over Fulham at Old Trafford. He did not take part in a single minute of United’s pre-season tour of America, owing to an undisclosed injury problem.

This absence, without a clear explanation, has continued for the entirety of this season, creating a crisis at left-back following Luke Shaw’s own long-term injury at the end of August.

Sergio Reguilon was signed on the final day of the summer transfer window in a hastily-agreed loan deal from Tottenham Hotspur to help plug this gap. Within a month, however, Reguilon suffered his own injury, likely leading Ten Hag to wonder if the left-back position was the subject of a curse.

The club decided to end Reguilon’s loan in January, sending him back to London where he promptly joined Brentford on another loan until the end of the season.

Ten Hag later revealed this decision was driven by the prospect of both Shaw and Malacia being close to a return to first-team action in January, as directed by the club’s medical team. Except this prediction did not hold true.

Shaw did return, playing against Newport County in the fourth round of the FA Cup on January 28. Malacia has still yet to re-join first-team training. This continued absence was then subsequently exacerbated by Shaw re-injuring himself against Luton in February, ruling him out until just before the end of the season with a recurrence of his hamstring injury.

In this time, Ten Hag has been forced to deploy Victor Lindelof and Sofyan Amrabat at left-back, with predictably poor results. As such, reports indicate the club have made the signing of a new left-back a priority this summer, suggesting there is doubts over Shaw and Malacia’s ability to be consistently available next season.

With Shaw, the issue is obvious. The England international, despite being one of the most talented fullbacks in the Premier League, simply cannot stay fit. When he does play, he is usually very good. But the team suffers in his absence too much not to have a more-than-capable deputy at the ready.

Which is why the mysterious nature of Malacia’s long-term absence has been so puzzling. The former Feyenoord man would have been expected to have seized the opportunities Shaw’s injuries would have afforded him with both hands. Instead, he continues to be unavailable, despite Ten Hag revealing in February he was closing in on a return.

However, Christopher Michel (fussball.news) has now offered clarity on the situation, revealing it is not simply a physical injury ruling Malacia out; he is also reported to be struggling mentally.

This unfortunate update explains why the club have been so guarded in their updates on the fullback, as well as the timeline for his return being constantly pushed back. If the defender is experiencing issues with his mental health, there is not the same framework for improving the situation as with a physical injury.

This explains why at various points the club’s medical staff, as well as Ten Hag himself, may have thought Malacia was set to return, only for the situation to change.

As a result of the situation with both Shaw and Malacia, Michel indicates United are “looking for a new back-up left-back for the coming season,” mirroring the summer plans The Peoples Person have laid out for officials at Old Trafford.

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