Tyrell Malacia has opened up on his transfer to Lyon falling through in the summer and the reasons he favoured a switch to Manchester United.
At one stage it had seemed inevitable that Malacia was moving to Ligue 1 with Lyon confident that they would be signing the impressive Feyenoord full-back. However, knowing him from his time in the Eredivisie, Erik ten Hag swooped in at the last minute and managed to capture the 23-year-old's signature.
Malacia pulling out of the move to France would no doubt have surprised the club's officials, though the defender has admitted that he has not spoken to Lyon since his switch to United. "I have not spoken to Lyon since," he told The Mirror.
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"The transfer went the way I wanted. I am at United, that is all that matters. I always dreamed of the Premier League, so when Manchester came in with an offer, I knew I wanted to join.
"A lot of people thought I would end up on the bench because United had an England international in Luke Shaw and, at the time, a Brazilian international in Alex Telles. I also knew that people would judge me because I was the cheapest player this summer.
"But when you perform and do the business on the pitch, it shuts them all up. I knew deep down I could get into the team.
"I believed in my own ability because I know how to fight for my future. I have never had it easy in my life. I have had to overcome some big setbacks and deal with disappointments."
Malacia will face his toughest challenge to date on Sunday when United travel to Manchester City for the derby. Three points for United would move them to within touching distance of their rivals in the league table.
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