A number of Manchester United’s fringe players will be hoping that the first team that secure a place in the top four before the end of the season.
Should United qualify for the Champions League with league games remaining at the end of the season, Erik ten Hag will be able to rest players ahead of the FA Cup final and that could mean extra minutes for players like Tyrell Malacia, Fred and Scott McTominay.
Following Sunday’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa, United will now turn their attention to Thursday night’s trip to the AMEX Stadium to take on Brighton – just weeks after knocking them out of the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
In a post match interview at the weekend, Netherlands international Tyrell Malacia spoke to club media about facing Brighton.
In his post-match interview after Sunday’s win over Villa, Malacia looked ahead to our clash with the Seagulls, outlining the need to continue putting in maximum effort between now and the end of the campaign.
“There’s always work to be done,” he said to MUTV. “The manager’s always demanding things from us, so that’s important. But I think we have to watch our game and make sure we play for the Champions League.
“We have a lot of quality, so the quality is always there, so that’s good. And I think we need that, as a club, as Manchester United, we always need quality.”
The Seagulls go into the game trying to qualify for European football and manager Roberto De Zebri has done an incredible job this season. As things stand, Brighton are on course for their highest ever finish in the top flight, so it’s been a season their fans will remember fondly, despite losing Graham Potter.
To Malacia’s credit, he has played a lot of football this season, but he’s seen as a backup option at left-back. A very good one.
The left-back says he enjoys a busy schedule: “I like it. That’s why I wanted to play in this competition [the Premier League] and for a big club. That’s what you want to do. Play as many games as possible. So, I’m happy to be here.”
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