Tyrell Malacia reveals two heart-wrenching personal issues during Manchester United rehab – “My dad got sick”

In a new interview, Tyrell Malacia confirmed that he went through two personal issues during his Manchester United injury rehabilitation.

Tyrell Malacia has not played for Manchester United since the final day of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, when the defender played 90 minutes against Fulham in May 2023.

Although the Dutch left-back was in the squad that lost the 2023 FA Cup final against Manchester City, he did not feature, and following 116 minutes for the Netherlands in the Nations League a few weeks later, he has not played first-team football.

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Malacia has not featured for any first team for the last 535 days but recently made his competitive comeback, playing 45 minutes for United’s U21s side during a 3-1 loss against Huddersfield Town.

However, in a new interview with The Athletic, Malacia sought to “set the record straight” after wild social media speculation about the length of his absence.

Two family problems

Speaking with The Athletic reporter Mark Critchley, Malacia revealed that, during his absence, his father became sick.

“It’s a bit difficult, because I’m not like a guy who talks about these types of things, but my dad got sick,” the Dutch defender explained.

The report comments on how his father, Sanroy, is a big cornerstone of Malacia’s career, but a few months after his debut for United, he fell ill, and Malacia has admitted that it’s something that still affects his family.

“He wasn’t able to walk anymore,” Malacia continued. “For my family, it was a big, big impact. It’s still difficult sometimes.”

Further, not long after Malacia suffered a setback regarding his rehabilitation in December 2023, his grandmother passed away.

“For me, she was like my mum; basically, my second mum,” he said. “I lived there for a couple of years. I was there every day, especially when I played in Holland. After every training, I went there. Every time I go back to Holland, the first thing I did was go visit her. Always the first thing.”

After his grandfather passed away six years ago, his grandmother remained a widow. “She always said it was difficult for her to be alone. After I went to Manchester, we weren’t there anymore. That was also difficult for her.

“I think she is at peace now, so that makes me happy as well, because I’ve seen her in pain a couple of weeks before she passed away. I saw her changing as well, as a human being. I’m happy she’s with my grandpa now.

“They’re up there together, and they’re in peace. That’s the most important thing for me, that she has rest.”

Tyrell Malacia has been back in first-team training for the last month and is expected to return to first-team action soon as he builds his match fitness for the first time in almost 17 months.

We wish him all the best on his return to action under new head coach Rúben Amorim.

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