Manchester United are feeling a crunch defensively with mounting injuries and absences, as star summer signing Noussair Mazraoui became the latest blow after an unspecified cardiac issue that necessitated procedural intervention.
Coming into the season, Manchester United were already down three key players in defense with Leny Yoro suffering a preseason injury, and the left back duo of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia also recovering from various ailments.
With Mazraoui out, that now leaves right back Diogo Dalot as the lone fullback and a situation where Manchester United are having to shift a center back to the left back position in the interim.
On the bright side, Manchester United should have one of their long-term – really, their longest-term – absentees back soon. The Manchester Evening News reports that Dutch left back Tyrell Malacia is expected to return at some point in October, meaning his presence could be felt in a matter of weeks.
Manchester United close out the month with matches against Brentford and West Ham in the Premier League, a battle with ex-coach Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce in the Europa League, and a League Cup encounter against newly promoted Leicester City.
Malacia could potentially be ready to return for a tune-up against the Foxes. He hasn’t played since the summer of 2023 with a knee injury, to the point where many Man United fans have forgotten about him.
But Malacia came to Manchester United in 2022 from Feyenoord with a lot of promise as one of Europe’s better left backs, and the Red Devils felt great about the signing at the time of 15 million euros.
He’s a solid two-way left back who can help Man United as a rotational player, and having him back would at least give Manchester United a tried-and-true left-fotoed left back.
Once Manchester United get Malacia and Shaw back, they will have a full gamut of options at left back, though, when Mazraoui is ready, neither will be the best options at left back with how well Diogo Dalot has acquitted himself in the inverted role.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other major outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.