According to a report by Manchester Evening News on Saturday October 24, 2026, former Manchester United defender Tyrell Malacia has opened up about the difficult period he endured at Old Trafford under former manager Ruben Amorim, revealing that he was never given an explanation for his exclusion from the first team.

Malacia, who left Manchester United during the summer, was among several players placed in the club's so-called 'bomb squad' after falling out of favour under Amorim.

The Dutch defender found himself training away from the senior squad alongside Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Jadon Sancho before the other players eventually secured moves away from the club.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Malacia explained that his problems began after a lengthy injury absence that disrupted his progress at Manchester United.

"I had a good first season and then I had my injury. I don't want to talk too much about it, but certain things happened in my rehab," he said.

Amorim arrived at the club shortly after Malacia returned from injury and initially gave the defender a few opportunities to feature.

However, having spent approximately a year and a half away from competitive football, Malacia admitted that regaining his previous level was not an easy process.

"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," he added.

The defender subsequently joined PSV Eindhoven on loan for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign, making eight appearances for Manchester United after returning from injury before leaving for the Dutch club.

Although he admitted that he was not yet fully fit during his loan spell, Malacia viewed the experience as an opportunity to regain match fitness and prepare for another chance at Old Trafford.

After returning to Manchester United the following summer, he believed he would finally have an opportunity to establish himself in the team.

"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'," Malacia explained.

However, the defender was not included in Amorim's plans and became part of the group of players training away from the first team.

Malacia admitted that he did not know who was responsible for the decision, revealing that he never received an explanation from the former United manager or anyone else at the club.

"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.

The situation became even more difficult after Rashford, Garnacho and Antony left the club, leaving Malacia training with the second team and even the under-18s.

Reflecting on the experience, the defender admitted that being separated from the senior squad took a mental toll on him. "It's tough. It's tough mentally," he said.