Tyrell Malacia: who is he? Profile of Man Utd’s unexpected acquisition and an explanation of the nickname “pitbull”

 MANCHESTER UNITED

Tyrell Malacia: who is he? Profile of Man Utd’s unexpected acquisition and an explanation of the nickname “pitbull”

Feyenoord left defender Erik ten Hag is expected to make Tyrell Malacia his first signing as Manchester United manager after the Red Devils and the Dutchman, who was poised to sign with Lyon, reached an agreement on a deal worth £15.7 million

Finally, the arrival of Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag’s first acquisition is in sight.

If you had gone back only 48 hours, you would have believed that Barcelona playmaker Frenkie de Jong or even Ajax star Antony would have entered the Old Trafford doors first. However, it’s someone who is less acquainted with the headlines and back pages: Star player for Feyenoord Tyrell Malacia.

After taking over Lyon’s attempt to recruit the 22-year-old left-back, the Red Devils are about to complete a deal for him. The Dutch club already had a deal with the French giants, but United were continuously keeping an eye on Ten Hag’s predicament and jumped in at the last minute, as first reported by Mirror Football just weeks into Ten Hag’s leadership.

What about Malacia? Why is Ten Hag such a fan of him? What more will the red-eyed Dutchman bring to the Theater of Dreams? Let’s investigate.

Where everything began

Feyenoord entered Malacia’s life in 2008 when he joined the club at the early age of nine. Malacia was born and reared in Rotterdam, the son of a Curacaoan father and a Surinamese mother. He was an undisputed talent in his childhood, playing for the Netherlands from Under-16 to Under-21.

Malacia was raised in South Rotterdam’s Hillesluis neighborhood and has maintained his modesty to this day. He still hangs out with his childhood friends and frequently visits his grandmother, information that Ten Hag, who is renowned for keeping tabs on his players’ personal lives, undoubtedly already knows.

Malacia was quoted by Ebonyst as saying, “People I’m with keep forgetting that you’re a professional football player.” “But I don’t at all consider myself to be that professional footballer. I also don’t use it since I’m too shy to do so.”

Malacia’s first love is football, although she also enjoys reading. He said: “I’ve decided not to watch much football or any television at all, including reality shows.” “I’m in dire need of some downtime. I shouldn’t constantly be thinking about that football. Then I totally freak out. When I was a young player, I once browsed a fan forum on the internet and read what was said about boys. purely negative For me, no.”

Malacia, who plays for the Netherlands with former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, said that Wijnaldum is an example to follow off the field as well “I identify a lot with Georginio. as a human. He knows what he wants, so calm down. I am largely by myself. in my room a lot.”

Malacia was selected for Curacao’s preliminary team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2021, but playing for Holland was his ambition, and Louis van Gaal would make it come true in September of that year. Malacia assisted in the Oranjes’ 4-0 victory over Montenegro in World Cup qualification, and she put in a standout 90 minutes of work.

He has four caps now, two of which came against Wales earlier this month during a series of UEFA Nations League games, and he appears destined to be a member the 26-man roster assembled by Van Gaal for the World Cup in Qatar. Malacia’s international manager places a lot of responsibility on him because he assisted Malacia in settling into a wing-back role for the Oranjes. According to Van Gaal, his wing-backs are the team’s “steering wheel.”

Style of play

Malacia’s fan-given moniker of “the bulldog” is a perfect description of how he conducts himself on the field. His tenacious approach gives both Feyenoord and the Netherlands a buzzing presence on the left flank in contrast to his reserved demeanor at home.

I stuck to my beliefs while I was in school, especially when I thought anything was unfair.

But he made sure not to jeopardize his chances of playing professionally when it came to youth football. Malacia said, “I avoided conflict.” “I was aware that you would be expelled for fighting in the locker room. I had no desire for that. So I refrained from speaking.”

He responded, “That makes no sense as a player, especially without a captain’s armband, you only [end up] fighting the referee,” when asked why he doesn’t argue with officials as frequently as his managers or teammates do.

Malacia gives “great man” Dick Advocat a lot of credit for his growth, with Arne Slot last being in charge of his ascent to full-fledged first-team status. The United target has made a total of 135 appearances since his complete debut in December 2017—a Champions League group-stage win against Napoli—and has registered 14 goals and assists.

50 of those appearances came during the previous season, when Feyenoord advanced to the Europa Conference League final before falling to Jose Mourinho’s Roma by a score of 1-0. After finishing third in the Eredivisie, 12 points behind Ten Hag’s Ajax and 10 points behind runners-up PSV Eindhoven, the team suffered its final defeat of the season.

Ten Hag has a long history of admiring Malacia as well, according to 442SPORT, but their clubs’ savage rivalry stopped a deal from ever happening. He was trained at De Kuip by Red Devils icon Jaap Stam and current Rangers head coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

After helping him win the KNVB Cup in 2018, the latter had already let the fans know what to anticipate from him at Old Trafford. Van Bronckhorst said, “I remember Tyrell from the youth teams. “After watching him play, I realized how well he accomplished for such a young age. He could play close on players that required it, but he could also play zonal defense.

“That is difficult for young players. Even at a young age, I believed he was incredibly complete. There is our future left-back, I recollect saying to [Jean-Paul] Van Gastel, Feyenoord’s former assistant. I had no problem using [Ridgeciano] Haps when he was hurt for the Napoli match in the Champions League. Sometimes you just have to offer the boy your confidence without getting too worked up.

Every winger will get headaches the night before a game against Malacia because of his quickness, agility, and tenacious work ethic. He can occasionally be too ebullient. He was playing right-winger when I once saw film of him against VVV Venlo. When I addressed him, he laughed and said, “Sorry trainer, I will do my best more.” It’s his motivation and his love.”

 Career goal

Malacia is more than mentally prepared to advance in his career playing in the Premier League after spending 22 years in the Netherlands. He recently told RTV Rijnmond, just as transfer rumors were heating up and West Ham was rumored to be interested, “I am definitely ready for the next step.”

But before I play here, I want to concentrate on the Oranjes team. I believe that everything has a purpose and is predetermined. If now is the proper time, then it is now. Although I’m not particularly into it, I do occasionally think about it. But I’m not interested in discussing it.

“[Van Gaal] gave me appreciation. You must perform at your club; I’m doing a good job at that. But I want to demonstrate that I should play in every international game. Then he attempts to get me to change my mind. I used to just watch the cat come out of the tree, but now I also share it. Apart from that, I’m still cool and mostly let my feet speak for me.”

Supporters will be happy to learn that Malacia’s laser focus is on doing the business between the whites lines if they are traveling to a club where football hasn’t been the thing to brag about for the most of the past ten years. You’d better keep in mind the moniker; Old Trafford might be the catalyst for a revolution
.