A delighted Marcus Rashford has sent Tyrell Malacia a message after the Manchester United star made his long-awaited comeback following 17 months of injury hell.

Dutch left-back Malacia returned to action for United's under-21 side on Tuesday, playing 45 minutes in their EFL Trophy clash with Huddersfield Town. The Red Devils eventually lost 4-1 but during Malacia's time on the pitch, the former Feyenoord defender looked sharp and was vocal in a young backline.

Malacia hadn't played a competitive match since June 2023, featuring for the Netherlands in their Nations League semi-final defeat to Croatia. The 25-year-old suffered a series of setbacks after having an operation on his knee, needing a second round of surgery.

His prolonged absence meant that he wasn't able to play under Erik ten Hag again before his sacking, having been signed for an initial £13million in 2022. Malacia's comeback was brought to an end when was replaced by Harry Amass in a pre-planned half-time substitution and afterwards, he received a flood of support from fans and team-mates, including Rashford.

United's official Instagram account posted an image of the Netherlands international back in action, writing as the caption: "SO good to see you back out there, Ty."

In the comments section, Rashford, who's good friends with Malacia, replied: "Twinnn" and accompanied it with three love heart emojis. Red Devils captain Bruno Fernandes also posted on his Instagram story: "Happy to see you back."

Caretaker boss Ruud van Nistelrooy had predicted that Malacia would make his comeback in the under-21s, recently saying: "Tyrell is the furthest [along the road to recovery] in the moment – he's [been] part of team training for a couple of weeks now, full in team training, no restrictions. So it's good for him to plan game minutes, maybe in the under-21s. We have to see."

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Now that Ruben Amorim has taken charge following Ten Hag's departure, and with Luke Shaw still sidelined, Malacia could get the nod at left-back over the coming weeks. However, it's unlikely that the Dutchman will be able to start next Sunday's clash with Ipswich Town, Amorim's first game.

Following his move from Feyenoord, Malacia made 39 appearances for United in the 2022-23 season. His impressive start to life at Old Trafford sparked improved performances from Shaw, who eventually regained the left-back slot as the Red Devils enjoyed a much more positive season than this term.

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