In a recent interview with Dutch TV station RTV Rijnmond (via fr12.nl), Feyenoord left-back Tyrell Malacia responded to Manchester United ‘s interest in him, saying, “I am definitely ready for the next step. But first I want to focus on the orange squad and play here.”
“I feel like everything happens for a reason and everything is written. If this is the right time, now is the right time. I’m not really into it, but it’s in the back of my mind. But I don’t want to talk about it. (Van Gaal) praised me. You have to perform at your club, I’m doing that nicely.”
“But I want to show in every international match that I’m supposed to play. He then tries to take my opinion out of me. At first, I mainly looked the cat out of the tree, but now I share it too. Other than that, I’m still calm, I mainly let my feet do the talking.”
Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag has been a long-term admirer of the 22-year-old wing-back and wanted to sign him during his Ajax tenure. Valued at around £20 million, Feyenoord would let him leave if a suitable offer comes in.
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Having come through the ranks at Feyenoord itself, Tyrell Malacia made his debut for the first team at the age of eighteen in a 2–1 UEFA Champions League victory over Napoli on 6 December 2017, wherein he played the full ninety minutes. Over the course of the past five years, the Dutchman has been a regular at the Rotterdam-based club, bagging twelve goal contributions in 97 Eredivisie matches.
Even this season, the number five managed to put up some awe-inspiring numbers on the board – averaging 2.7 tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 1.2 clearances, 1.6 shots, 1.1 key passes, 1.6 dribbles, and 2.7 long balls per 90 minutes in the Dutch top-flight (calculated across 32 appearances). Furthermore, with an average WhoScored rating of 7.14, Malacia established himself as one of the most consistent performers on his side.
Although Feyenoord came third in the race for the league title, they reached the UEFA Europa Conference League final before suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Jose Mourinho’s Roma.
Good Option For Erik Ten Hag?
Given the present circumstances, signing a modern-day quality wing-back should be the board’s first priority once the summer transfer window opens. It’s beyond any doubt that the Red Devils certainly need to upgrade their options in defence to try and solve their issues at the back – and Tyrell Malacia would be the perfect replacement for Alex Telles, who is not a part of Ten Hag’s rebuild plans.
His move to the Old Trafford will mean that he instantly competes with Luke Shaw for a position in the starting eleven. At 22, Malacia will only get better with each season, so it won’t be a complete surprise if United go all out to secure his signature.
(Stats from WhoScored)
