Tyrell Malacia was one of six players to be signed by Erik ten Hag over the summer and he was one of the first to immediately impress the Old Trafford faithful.
Malacia’s first start for the Reds came in the 2-1 win over Liverpool in August and it’s safe to say that the young Dutchman was one of the standout performers.
That performance meant that he kept Luke Shaw on the bench for another month but after a couple of disappointing outings, Shaw is now back in the side and Malacia is watching from the sidelines.
Shaw is out of contract at the end of this season and there are no guarantees that he will be remaining beyond his current terms but the England star has now opened up on the competition between himself and Malacia.
“It’s about keeping fit and keeping that high level consistently,” Shaw is quoted as saying by the official Manchester United website.
“Tyrell has obviously been playing as well and playing really well, and I think that’s really good, for the manager to have competition in different positions, and both of us performing at a good level.
“I really like Ty; I sit next to him in the changing room and he’s a really nice guy and an extremely good player. He’s still very young and we get on really well and, for both of us, it’s nice to get on well with someone who is in your position. That really helps because, when he plays, I want him to do the best for the team and I know he has the same feeling for me.”
SN’s verdict…
It will be interesting to see how the battle between Shaw and Malacia plays out for the rest of the season. As things stand, both players are fairly secure with their national teams and it should not affect their standings ahead of next month’s World Cup.
Shaw will be looking to earn a new contract and his performance levels will need to be high for the club to offer him fresh terms whilst Malacia is a young player eager to prove himself.
Thus far, there are no indications that Ten Hag has a personal preference for either player and it’s simply a fair battle between the two. Nevertheless, healthy competition is always good.
