Tyrell Malacia says he has no regrets about joining Manchester United, even though former manager Ruben Amorim left him to train with the club's youth players after placing him in what became known as the 'bomb squad'. The Dutch left-back is now rebuilding his career with FC Cincinnati in Major League Soccer after his United contract expired in the summer.
"I wouldn't regret anything, not one bit," Malacia said in an interview with BBC Sport. "Even if I could do it over, I would do the same thing because otherwise I wouldn't be the man I am now."
The 27-year-old says he has been fully fit since November 2024, having returned after a year and a half out following two major knee operations. His appearance for FC Cincinnati in their 2-1 win over DC United on 21 October was the first time he had started four successive games since September 2022, at the start of his first United season after a £13m move from Feyenoord.
A breakthrough season, then years in the wilderness
That debut campaign under fellow Dutchman Erik ten Hag was Malacia's high point at Old Trafford, with 39 appearances across all competitions. He would feature in only 11 more games over the following three seasons.
The trouble began in pre-season 2023, when Malacia felt discomfort in his left knee that did not clear up over the summer. He returned to the Netherlands for surgery, but when the healing process did not go as planned, he needed a second operation. He does not want to go into further detail, but after making his comeback for the Under-21 side in an EFL Trophy defeat at Huddersfield, he hoped it would mark the start of a path back into Amorim's first team.
"I had a good first season and then I had my injury," Malacia said. "I don't want to talk too much about it, but certain things happened in my rehab. Ruben came in when I just got back from my injury. He gave me a couple of games, but I had come back after a year and a half. Imagine not playing for a year and a half and adapting to everything, especially in the best league in the world and playing for such a big club. It takes time. As a player you need to understand if you play for a big club like Manchester United, sometimes you don't get the time."
Malacia made eight appearances before joining PSV Eindhoven on loan for the rest of the 2024-25 season. "Even at that time I still wasn't 100%, but it was good for me to get game time and adapting to the game," he said. "After that period of six months, I came back in summer I thought 'OK, now it's going happen, I'm going to get a fair chance'."
Training alone with United's academy sides
Those hopes were not realised. Just before pre-season training resumed, United announced that Malacia, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony would train separately from Amorim's squad and could leave if a suitable offer arrived. It was never made clear what Malacia had done wrong, and sources say he was not disruptive or a bad influence. While the other four eventually moved on, Malacia remained in exile at Carrington, training with the Under-21s or, at his own request, even the Under-18 and Under-17 squads to stay in shape.
"I don't know where that came from, I don't know if it was Ruben or higher up or anything, but I never said anything about it, I just kept working and doing my thing even though it was difficult sometimes training in a group of five," he said. "At some point Marcus, Garnacho and even Antony left. Then I stayed on my own, training with the second team, even with the under-18s and below. It's tough. It's tough mentally."
"I could have said 'OK, I'm not coming into training'. But I thought 'that's not going to help me'. It's a reason for them to say 'this is the reason you are with them or training on your own'. I just kept my head down and did the work," Malacia said. "I always stayed fit since I came back from my injury, but people didn't know that. They were like 'why is he not playing?'."
Malacia also said Michael Carrick, who closed the door on a January exit to ensure United had cover if Luke Shaw was injured, had explained his reasoning to him once he took charge, even though Shaw ultimately did not suffer that injury during the campaign. "That was difficult to accept. I was like 'I'm not going to play but I'm not allowed to leave so what's the point of me staying here'. Then he explained to me," Malacia said. "At the end of the day everybody is there for themselves. I'm there for myself obviously in the first place and then obviously the team but also the manager is there for himself, he needs to save his job or do his job well. Still, I don't regret anything. I had a great time in my first season and the people who worked there and the players I met there were amazing, so, nah, I really enjoyed my time."
Return to the fold and a fresh start in MLS
Malacia returned to Amorim's fold at the end of September 2025. He was included in the squad for the 25 October match against Brighton and featured in every matchday squad from 24 November onwards, coming on for the final two minutes against Newcastle on Boxing Day, the last five minutes of the return fixture at St James' Park on 5 March, and making his farewell United appearance at Brighton on 24 May.
FC Cincinnati currently sit eighth in the Eastern Conference with four games of the regular season remaining, with the top nine advancing to the play-offs. Malacia has signed on for the 2027 'sprint season', with the option to stay for the 2027-28 campaign, the club's first season to align with the European calendar.
"As a football player you want to play. I'm able to do that now and consistently, so I'm happy," he said. "This opportunity came on my path and the people I spoke with were very positive. That gave me a good feeling. I've played for Man Utd, I've played for Feyenoord, I've played for PSV, so I have a lot of experience. I want to bring that to the club. I want to bring my energy, I want to bring my quality. If you come into the play-offs, at the end of the day, it's all finals. The one that shows up the best that day is going to go through till the end. The more games for me, the better. I've been out for so long now, I just want to play as many games as possible."
