Man Utd misfit to end nightmare 28 month spell after 'reaching exit agreement'

Manchester United defender Tyrell Malacia is set to leave the club on loan in the January transfer window, according to reports.

Malacia joined the club in 2022 for around £13million from Feyenoord but has had a nightmare spell after suffering with various injury issues - including a crippling knee problem that kept him out for nearly a year and a half.

But despite returning to fitness and playing a handful of games under boss Ruben Amorim, the 25-year-old has now been given the green light by his Portuguese boss to leave Old Trafford this month, according to Voetball International.

The report says: "Tyrell Malacia is leaving Manchester United. Sources close to the player have confirmed this. The left-back is close to an agreement with a new club and will be loaned to a top European competition. Ruben Amorim has given approval for the loan."

The club Malacia will be joining has not been disclosed and comes at a time when Amorim is seeking more reinforcements at left-back, despite reportedly being dealt a blow in his chase for PSG star Nuno Mendes.

It is believed Mendes has decided to stay in Paris for the foreseeable future, according to L'Equipe, and could even sign a contract extension with the club.

Malacia played his first minutes of the season in United's 3-2 win over Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League, playing 45 minutes, but has only gone on to feature for 199 minutes in all competitions under Amorim.

He came on as a late sub in the team's FA Cup third-round win at Arsenal last week, but it is clear Diogo Dalot is Amorim's first choice at left wing-back, while Noussair Mazraoui is also capable of playing there.

United fans might still be concerned that an already weak area is set to have less depth after the news that Mendes is not likely to join the club.

Amorim recently spoke out about transfer speculation and played down the idea that signings were paramount to the team's season - instead claiming he wanted to focus on the players he already had at his disposal.

"I don't remember saying clearly that I want new players," Amorim said last week. "What I said is sometimes the profile for this system is different and the players come here with a different idea of how to play.

"I don't remember saying that so clearly that I want new players. Our idea is always to keep the best players and the players we build for this club but we know what position the club is in at the moment."