Relief. Joy. Thankfulness. Hopefulness. These are a few of the feelings that likely filled Tyrell Malacia’s thoughts during his first competitive match in 517 days. Malacia has undergone a lengthy recovery from an injury, and Tuesday night marked an important milestone in his career. He played for the Under-21s against Huddersfield Town in the EFL Trophy after working hard to feel the grass at the John Smith’s Stadium. The 25-year-old suffered a knee injury at the end of the 2022/23 season and needed two surgeries to fix the problem, even though United initially attempted to manage it with pain injections. Malacia’s recovery hasn’t been easy, so it was wonderful to see him back in a United shirt. ALSO READ: United gets significant news on Tyrell Malacia’s injury. READ ALSO: Bruno Fernandes makes a dig at a United supporter. The psychological difficulty of dealing with a lengthy time away from the game is frequently neglected, even though it shouldn’t be. Malacia has largely felt like an outsider at his club, having to observe his teammates advance while he has remained stagnant. Some of the United medical staff who supported him during his recovery were present at the game to mark his comeback, and a few fans requested selfies with him as he exited the team bus. Malacia was greeted with enthusiastic applause by the approximately 200 United fans as he warmed up, and he made his first touch in the match after five minutes. The Dutchman connected with Tommy Rowe for a few passes and teamed up with Sekou Kone, the talented young midfielder who joined United for about £1 million during the summer. Once he got comfortable with the game and recalled the intensity of a competitive match, Malacia made his first push into Huddersfield’s half but ultimately reversed to keep the ball. It’s hard to recall the level of attacking skill Malacia has, considering his last appearance was quite some time ago, but he will need to shine in that aspect to earn a place in Ruben Amorim’s team.
