Tyrell Malacia left fuming as Man Utd suddenly block transfer to Turkey just before out-of-favour defender boarded plane

According to a bombshell report from Dutch outlet Voetbal International, the 26-year-old left-back was at the airport, luggage in hand and preparing to fly to Istanbul to finalise a loan move, when his phone rang.

On the other end of the line was United technical director Jason Wilcox. In a move that has stunned the player’s camp, Wilcox reportedly informed Malacia that the transfer was off and ordered him not to board the plane.

The intervention came at the absolute final moment. Malacia had been given the green light to travel and complete his medical with the Turkish club, understood to be a temporary switch to restart his career, only for the Old Trafford hierarchy to change their minds abruptly. The defender was forced to turn around and head back to Manchester, leaving his transfer hopes in tatters.

The reaction from the player’s side has been one of incandescent rage. VI describes the mood as one of "disbelief" and "anger." Malacia had spent the days leading up to the deadline negotiating his exit, believing he had the full blessing of the club to leave in search of regular minutes.

To be pulled back from the departure gate is seen as a humiliating blow for a player who has already endured a torrid couple of years. Malacia has fought his way back from a devastating knee injury that kept him sidelined for over 18 months, only to find himself completely frozen out of the first-team picture upon his return. He was loaned to PSV for the second half of last season but started only six of the 12 games in which he appeared. 

He viewed a move to the Turkish Super Lig as a vital lifeline for a player seeking a chance to prove his fitness and get competitive miles in his legs away from the intense scrutiny of the Premier League. The sudden revocation of that permission, without a clear sporting justification communicated beforehand, has reportedly severed whatever trust remained between the player and the club’s decision-makers.

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The decision to block the move is all the more baffling given Malacia’s standing in the squad. Since returning to fitness, he has not featured for the senior side, with the coaching staff preferring other options at left-back. With Luke Shaw fit and other versatile defenders available, Malacia was deemed surplus to requirements until the phone call at the airport.

With Patrick Dorgu out with an injury, the Red Devils opted to keep the Dutchman in case they need cover. With Shaw and Noussair Mazraoui preferred ahead of Malacia at left-back, though, he is not expected to see much of an increase in his playing time. The 26-year-old has made just one appearance for the senior side all season, clocking just two minutes in the 1-0 win against Newcastle.

For Malacia, this U-turn represents a crushing professional setback. After losing a significant chunk of his career to a complex meniscus injury and subsequent surgeries, he desperately needs match rhythm. Staying at United to sit in the stands or play occasional minutes for the Under-21s does nothing to restore his value or his confidence.

The Turkish transfer window remains open until February 6, so there may be a faint glimmer of hope that this deal could be resurrected if cooler heads prevail in the coming days. However, the nature of the blockage, suggests a definitive decision has been made to keep him.

Unless the situation changes rapidly, Malacia faces the prospect of spending the next five months rotting on the bench at Old Trafford, a "prisoner" of a contract that the club suddenly decided was too valuable to release. It is a cruel twist for a player who simply wanted the chance to play football again.