“He is finally back to training and I think its finally time to tell the fans the truth on what happened to him. Its not only the injury. Its has never happened to any football players before. That’s the reason we refused tonl tell the fans when it happened”-BREAKING NEWS as Erik ten Hag reveals what actually happened to Tyrell Malacia that kept him out of football and sets date for his Man Utd return after more than 400 days out

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has provided an update on Tyrell Malacia’s return to first-team action following an extended period on the sidelines.

Malacia, who joined from Eredivisie side Feyenoord in 2022 for around £15 million, has not played for the Premier League club since undergoing surgery on a knee injury last summer. His last appearance for United was in their 2-1 victory over Fulham on Sunday, May 28, 2023.

Initially, Erik ten Hag expected Malacia to return to first-team action in January. However, after experiencing “some setbacks” in his recovery process, he missed the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign.

Now, the full-back is making good progress as he continues to work on an individual fitness program under the close supervision of Manchester United’s medical team at Carrington. Ten Hag expects Malacia to return in October, which will be a significant relief given Luke Shaw’s fitness issues over the past year.

“He is now in a good place, but he is not here because I only took players who could play games or be available for team training,” Ten Hag said during United’s pre-season tour of the US. “He is not that far, but he is now in a progress situation. At a relatively short notice, he can return to team training and then team performance in games. I think it would be possible in two months.”

United recently stated that Malacia is doing “everything he can” to regain full fitness ahead of the 24/25 campaign, although they have not ruled out bringing in another left-back this summer.

In terms of options at left-back, Erik ten Hag will be encouraged by the pre-season performances of highly-rated defender Harry Amass. The 17-year-old impressed on Wednesday night as goals from Marcus Rashford, Amad Diallo, and Casemiro sealed a 3-2 victory over La Liga outfit Real Betis. Some fans have called for academy product Amass to receive more first-team minutes in the coming months following his assured display.

In an interview with GOAL, Luke Shaw was recently asked which young player fans should watch out for. “He’s a young left back from Man United,” Shaw said. “Harry Amass.”