Manchester United and Tyrell Malacia appear to be at odds over the cause of his delayed return from injury.
Malacia was the first signing of the Erik ten Hag era at Man United, completing a £14.7 million move from Feyenoord.
The Dutchman proved to be a reliable back-up to injury-prone left-back Luke Shaw, but he has not featured at all this season after undergoing surgery on a knee meniscus injury last summer.
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The usual timeline for recovering from meniscus injuries suggested Malacia would return to action in the autumn; Amad suffered a similar issue during pre-season and returned in December.
That has not been the case with Malacia, with his return repeatedly pushed back to the point where he is unlikely to be seen at all this term.
"It’s going to be difficult for him this season to be available," Ten Hag said of the 24-year-old.
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"He will fight. He’s back on the pitch, but not in the team and the process had setbacks. He’s going forwards really slowly and the season is coming to an end."
It's a strange situation, and according to The Athletic, some at United questioned Malacia's actions during the early days of his rehabilitation.
The Dutchman decided to visit the Netherlands last summer, and because he failed to regularly update the club on his progress, some doubt whether the correct procedures were followed while the player was not under the club's watch.
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People close to Malacia accept that he did not regularly communicate with the club, but insist that he didn't do any training or rehabilitation work last summer as he was still waking on crutches.
However, other sources told The Athletic that Malacia's delayed return could be due to United’s medical department not always having the capacity to give the player the level of attention required.
With two years remaining on his United contract, Malacia will look to make up for lost time next season.
Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: Manchester United, Tyrell Malacia, Erik Ten Hag, Injury, Premier League