"I am strong in defence. I love to attack. I have good drive and never give up."
Those are the words used by Tyrell Malacia to describe his own game in his opening interview as a Manchester United player. He sums himself up very well, it must be said.
The left-back, who is able to operate in more of a left wing-back role too, was officially unveiled as a United player last week, becoming Erik ten Hag’s first signing as manager of the club. Even though he is still young at only 22 years-old, he has already gained a wealth of experience with Feyenoord in his native Netherlands.
Malacia is 'Rotterdam born and bred', joining Feyenoord at 9 years-old and making his way through the club's ranks to make his debut as an 18 year-old in December 2017, when he played the full 90 minutes of a Champions League victory against Napoli. The most recent season was his best to date, bringing his appearance total to 136, with performances in the Europa Conference League earning him a spot in the competition's team of the tournament.
More recently, he has started to become a feature of the Dutch national team too, achieving five caps thus far after making his debut in September last year.
It would seem that in the first instance Malacia is intended as a player to offer competition for Luke Shaw in the left-back department at United, pushing Shaw whilst also acting as an able deputy and likely future successor. Given the well-rounded nature of his game at a still-tender age, you can produce a viable argument that Malacia will provide competition fiercer than that of Alex Telles and Brandon Williams, both of whom may yet depart the club this summer.
Given his forward-thinking principles, Ten Hag's attention will no doubt have been drawn to Malacia's ability when attacking. His endeavour in an attacking sense will be viewed as ideal by the United manager, with a number of aggressive underlapping and overlapping runs often made by Malacia - an even greater threat when you factor in his athleticism and the pace that he possesses.
His wide-ranging technical ability lends itself to the inverted full-back role that Ten Hag often adopts in his systems. Although he isn't renowned for his crossing ability, Malacia's wide passing range, often in a creative sense, means he can operate in both wide areas and further in-field. Last term, he was the Eredivisie defender with the most successful through balls played and ranked second for total final third passes in the same category.
Amongst full-backs with over 1000 minutes in the Eredivisie last season, Malacia ranked fourth for ball progression via pass, which offers proof as to his suitability to playing under Ten Hag given the high ranking of his sides with regards to progressive passing. His forward-thinking mindset is clear, further evidenced by his ability to carry the ball with avail, completing the most take-ons whilst taking the third most touches in the opposition box amongst Eredivisie defenders throughout the 2021/22 campaign.
Malacia also topped the charts for the number of shots taken and had the highest 'expected threat' value when compared to other Eredivisie defenders last term. Yet, amidst his attacking expertise, Malacia's range of assets is impressive; he was registered as the only player in Europe's top seven leagues to have taken over 1.5 shots, completed 1.5 dribbles and made 2.5 tackles per game last season.
From a defensive standpoint, proactivity is yet again a watchword, with Malacia always attentive and quick to close down opposing players. He more often than not possesses the positional awareness to dilute threat, whilst his combative nature enables him to engage in duels with sufficient success. There are occasions that he does mistime challenges (a more raw aspect of his game), but his recovery pace often allows him to make amends for lapses in judgement.
Malacia ranked as above average for ball-winning amongst Eredivisie full-backs with over 1000 minutes played in the most recent campaign, making the third most tackles from all Eredivisie defenders throughout the season. At five-foot-seven, he isn't the most adept in aerial challenges, but he still does possess the physicality and nous to beat opponents in a large portion of contests.
Off the pitch, Malacia is a more introverted character compared to his on-field drive and exuberance. "I love music but being on my own a lot, or with my family," he told club media. "But I don’t like to go out or that kind of thing. It’s not my thing."
Albeit, he is regarded as extremely strong mentally and completely determined in every aspect of his game. "He's a very serious guy, not like the typical football player," Malacia's personal trainer, Jordan Kroon, told Fredrik Filtvedt. "He's not interested in social media, he puts a huge effort in training and is incredibly good at dealing with pressure."
Regardless, Malacia has spoken of the importance of enjoyment in his game in addition to the laser-focus. "I think if that stops, if I don't enjoy the game, then I don't play football anymore because it's finished," he says.
On the whole, a move for Malacia makes plenty of sense on United's behalf. At only around £13million, he is relatively inexpensive whilst a prospect full of promise that Ten Hag is clearly keen to work with. "I think he’s the modern left-back or full-back," Ten Hag explained to club media. "He suits the profile and most important is, from every full-back, that he closes the right area, but he can also take part in the offensive side of our game, and he can do that really well. And I think he will really contribute to the team."
It is a shrewd piece of business from United, very much synonymous with Ten Hag's manner of operating. Malacia is not a big, well-known name by any stretch. Yet, where some may view such acquisition underwhelming, it makes a change from opting to sign players due to their stature in the footballing world. With a signing of Malacia's ilk, being Dutch and from the Eredivisie, it is clear that Ten Hag will have prompted the club due to his familiarity with the player. This is already a good sign that Ten Hag has the absolute backing of the club's board.
After all as well, Ten Hag has a special knack for working with young players. Given his all-round game and blatant desire in addition to his youthfulness, Malacia is certainly a signing United fans should be able to get behind.
(Credit for stats used: markrstats (Twitter), Squawka, Statman Dave, WhoScored)
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