Premier League club West Ham United were interested in signing Tyrell Malacia before Erik ten Hag’s insistence saw Manchester United enter the picture.
They ultimately ended up securing the left-back’s services this summer.
While the midfield was always the priority for the new manager, it didn’t stop him from finding reinforcements on the left side of the defence.
Lisandro Martinez and Malacia were both brought in and have settled in perfectly, changing the dynamics of the defence as compared to last season.
Ten Hag has been an admirer of the Dutch left-back since witnessing his performances in the Eredivisie for Feyenoord.
Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, wrote in his Caught Offside column that West Ham was interested before they signed Emerson from Chelsea.
Before signing Emerson Palmieri, West Ham tried to enter to sign Tyrell Malacia. They had direct contact with the player, but there was no agreement. #mufc [@FabrizioRomano, @caughtoffside]
— Managing Utd (@ManagingUtd) September 7, 2022
“Before signing Emerson Palmieri, West Ham tried to enter to sign Tyrell Malacia. “
“They had direct contact with the player, but there was no agreement.”
It’s clear to see that the Dutch international was in demand with multiple clubs interested in him. He was close to a move to Olympique Lyon, who had even agreed a fee with the Dutch club, before United hijacked the deal.
In recent weeks, Malacia has made the left-back position his own after a shaky start to the season from Luke Shaw.
The 23-year-old put in a wonderful performance against Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and has endeared himself to the Old Trafford faithful through his passion and hard work.
Ten Hag has always maintained that players will get a chance under him if they perform well and Shaw will be hoping to get more minutes to impress the Dutch manager.
United face Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday with rotation fully expected after a busy start to the season.
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