Manchester United stalwart has been relegated to the reserves by Amorin! Despite showing great effort and attitude, his request to play was denied.

As the transfer windows for leagues such as the Turkish Super League and Saudi Professional League shut this month, 26-year-old Tyrell Malacia’s continuation at Manchester United is confirmed. He will have to wait until January next year to try to leave, similar to last season when he was loaned to PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie during the winter window and won the championship while barely playing.

As the only player from the summer’s "five rats" to remain, Malacia was included in Manchester United’s Premier League squad earlier this month but failed to rejoin the first team. Instead, Ruben Amorim relegated him to train with the U21 squad. According to the British Daily Mail, Malacia has been training with the reserves for the past two weeks.

However, this first signing under Ten Hag, bought for €17 million, reportedly has a very good attitude. He works extremely hard and has been praised as "a role model for all young players."

British media report that Malacia is in excellent form and has proactively requested to represent Manchester United’s second team in the Premier League 2 to help the squad and maintain his match fitness. Nevertheless, for reasons not yet disclosed, Manchester United has not approved his request.

According to Premier League 2 regulations, participating players must be under 21 years old, with a maximum of four overage players allowed per match. The competition uses a "Swiss system" similar to the Champions League, featuring 26 teams competing in 20 regular season games and 16 knockout matches.

Manchester United U21 has started this Premier League 2 season strongly, winning all four matches and leading the table with 12 points, two points ahead of Ipswich and Southampton. The club likely believes that giving young players match experience is more valuable than allocating a spot to Malacia, who is expected to leave the team.

Malacia’s contract with Manchester United expires at the end of this season, and he will eventually transfer away, possibly on a free transfer, so there is no need to help him maintain fitness. Currently, the first-choice left-back for Manchester United U21 is 18-year-old Paraguayan Diego León, who joined for £7 million in the summer. If Malacia were to play, it could mean León would lose playing time in both the first and second teams.

Manchester United decided to loan out fellow 18-year-old English left-back Harry Arter to Championship club Sheffield Wednesday to allow León to stay and adapt to the club environment. Therefore, León needs to gain experience through youth team matches to integrate into English football.

Malacia has been at Manchester United for over three years but has only played 47 games, 39 of which came in his first season. He has been plagued by serious injuries and missed the entire 2023/24 season. His weekly wage exceeds £75,000, earning nearly £3 million this season despite not playing.

Many Manchester United fans hold a grudge against former manager Ten Hag for signing Malacia while overlooking the club’s own youth left-back, Alvaro Fernandez Carreras. Carreras never got a chance at Old Trafford, sought a loan move, flourished at Benfica, and this season joined Real Madrid where he has become a key player.

In La Liga, Carreras has not missed a single minute for Real Madrid. Head coach Xavi Alonso publicly praised him: "I’m delighted with his signing. His personality and competitive spirit surprised me. He rarely makes mistakes, is very focused, mentally strong, tactically and technically excellent, and very well-rounded. His immediate impact has been impressive; it’s a great deal."

Therefore, Manchester United and their fans do not want Malacia’s presence to hinder the development of other young players, making the decision to block him from playing in the reserves the right one.