Manchester United defender Tyrell Malacia has sent a message of encouragement to his teammates as Erik ten Hag's rebuild project rolls on.
The Dutchman has started every game since coming on for Luke Shaw at half-time against Brentford last month. He managed to stop the onslaught of goals in the 4-0 defeat to the Bees and has gone on to record three more clean sheets for United.
Malacia has impressed fans since his £13m summer arrival from Feyenoord, when he became Ten Hag’s first signing as United manager. His display against Mo Salah in the landmark 2-1 win over Liverpool brought him many plaudits, as did his performance against Gabriel Martinelli in the 3-1 victory triumph over table-toppers Arsenal.
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He is now arguably one of the first names on the teamsheet and will almost certainly line-up against Manchester City in the Manchester derby on October 2. That will follow the international break — during which Malacia will hope to earn his sixth cap for the Netherlands.
The 23-year-old is expected to be named in Louis van Gaal’s squad for the World Cup, as the Dutch return to the finals after missing out on Russia 2018. However, in the meantime, Malacia has urged fellow teammates to keep up the good fight.
Writing on Instagram, he said: “No matter how difficult the challenge is, always stay positive and believe in yourself.” It indicates how he will approach the season for United, and his competition for a starting spot with Luke Shaw.
The Netherlands play Poland and Belgium in their remaining Nations League matches, where a win over the former will book their spot in next summer’s finals.
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