Tyrell Malacia has opened up on his 18-month injury hell as he builds towards a long-awaited Manchester United comeback.
The left-back completed 45 minutes for United’s Under-21 side against Huddersfield Town on Tuesday night, marking his first game since the final day of the 2022/23 season.
In the summer that followed it was decided Malacia would undergo surgery on a meniscus tear, which then led to major complications and several setbacks.
Just weeks after the surgery, the defender had inflammation around the affected knee and had to undergo a second surgery to clear up small fragments of cartilage that were present around the meniscus.
Speaking to The Athletic, Malacia said: “I had to start my rehab over, basically. I had one day to be disappointed and then I had to be like, ‘OK, we go again’.”
The 25-year-old also revealed he had to go to the Netherlands and Barcelona to work with specialists in the second half of last season as United struggled with an injury crisis that affected the level of care he could receive.
Despite all of this, Malacia has stayed calm and remarkably patient. “I have a lot of patience but, in this process, I learned that I have more patience than every other person in the world at this moment.
“At the end of the day, we want to do everything right, at the right time. We don't want to rush into things. It is going well, very well, now — step by step. Maybe it went a little bit too quickly before, so we've learned from that.”
Malacia also has no regrets over the process. “I think at the end of the day, everything I did, even if it was a mistake or something, I won’t even see it as a mistake because it’s a lesson. I think everything in life is already written for me. I had to go through this whole process to be where I’m at now, so I wouldn’t do anything different.”
The Dutchman also touched on the wild rumours that did the rounds on social media, which even included pots that he had run away with the Princess of Wales.
“No, nothing was true,” Malacia said.
“No, no. I've just been doing my rehab. Especially when I was in Holland, I was close to my family — so just training, family, sleeping; training, family, sleeping. The only thing I've done.”
