Manchester United players conduct an initiation ceremony for a teammate who was previously neglected following an injury.
Tyrell Malacia was congratulated by his Manchester United teammates upon his return to training after a more than a year-long absence due to injury.
The Dutch left-back, who joined the Red Devils in the summer of 2022, did not appear in any matches last season and did not participate in the preseason after his most recent appearance in May 2023.
It has been reported in recent weeks that Malacia, 25, was on the brink of returning to training after his injury ordeal. Teammates greeted him with a tunnel of eggs as he emerged onto the turf at the club’s Carrington base.
Although United have indicated that Malacia will “tread lightly” in his pursuit of reintegration into Erik ten Hag’s squad, his return to training is a much-needed encouragement for the United manager.
Malacia, who was included in United’s 25-man Europa League squad for the league phase earlier this month, was Ten Hag’s inaugural acquisition at the club and demonstrated a promising performance during his inaugural season.
🎥 – Tyrel Malacia got the new player tunnel initiation ritual from his teammates.
They know he's back just like a new signing 😂❤️ pic.twitter.com/fiRGapBVIa
— UF (@UtdFaithfuls) September 20, 2024
The former Feyenoord full-back competed with Luke Shaw for a starting position in the side, making a total of 39 appearances for United.
Shaw’s current injury had prompted speculation that United would pursue a left-back during the summer transfer window; however, they chose not to pursue this option. Diogo Dalot has demonstrated his abilities as a left-back during the initial weeks of the season.
Ten Hag suggested at the beginning of the month that Malacia was on the brink of regaining his fitness; however, he emphasized that no one would be pressuring him, given the significant amount of action he has missed in the past year.
Ten Hag stated in an interview with Manchester United’s official website, “Of course, we want to motivate him to return, but it’s not so easy when you are so far away!” regarding the defender. He has been working diligently and is making significant progress, despite the fact that it has taken him more than a season to recover from his injury.
“He is making significant progress, so we anticipate his availability for team training at short notice. Additionally, his talent is evident; it is only natural.”
“I anticipate that he will also be able to return to the games in the near future.”
