TYRELL MALACIA has finally made his long awaited return from injury after SEVENTEEN months.
The left-back featured for Manchester United Under-21s in their Bristol Street Motors clash with Huddersfield.
Malacia started alongside United's youngsters but lasted just 45 minutes in the 3-1 defeat, which knocked the Red Devils out of the competition.
For Malacia, 25, it was his first appearance in 17 months.
He returned to training in September and was given a hero's welcome by his team-mates after being sidelined for so long.
His last competitive fixture came for the Netherlands in a June 2023 Nations League game before he went under the knife for a knee injury a month later.
Complications following the surgery meant he was forced to undergo a second procedure that kept him out of action for even longer.
He has been training for the past few weeks with United first releasing footage of Malacia jogging.
After more than a year out of action, he was given a player tunnel initiation where he ran through a crowd of team-mates and had his head playfully slapped.
Malacia could still take a while to get back up to speed but his return is a boost for incoming boss Ruben Amorim.
The Portuguese started in his new post on Monday and was seen alongside sporting director Dan Ashworth at Carrington.
And it has not taken him long to make an impact as he has already axed assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy.