Tyrell Malacia of Manchester United acknowledged that despite the Netherlands defeating Belgium, he didn’t agree with Louis van Gaal’s choice to use him as a central defender.
Malacia joined Old Trafford during the summer transfer window, and he quickly secured a spot in Erik ten Hag’s starting lineup.
In the early stage of his debut Premier League campaign, the former Feyenoord star has managed to overtake Luke Shaw in the pecking order and has been impressive.
The 23-year-old also appears poised to play a crucial part for his country in the World Cup this winter, with his seat on the flight to Qatar presumably secured.
And on Sunday, Malacia added another feather to his cap as he assisted the Oranje in an amazing 1-0 victory over Belgium.
Tyrell Malacia, however, was positioned as one of three central defenders rather than being used as the flank defense as normal. Van Gaal suggested he was put on trial to compete with Kevin De Bruyne.
“Martins Indi won’t make it [to the World Cup],” Van Gaal told ESPN NL. “I also wanted to see Malacia in that place, so [Nathan] Ake was substituted for Belgium. Because Martins Indi is not going to make it, I have to look at other players who can play there.
“I put him on the left of the central defence because De Bruyne played a lot on that side. It’s better to have a pitbull like that instead of someone like Blind who tries to solve it tactically.”
The former United Manager added: “De Bruyne has more acceleration than Blind as well so I put Malacia there. I had already discussed this with him the day before yesterday, that he could play as a left centre-back.”
Tyrell Malacia talks about the fight on the sidelines
Malacia, a defender for Manchester United, acknowledged he disagreed with Van Gaal’s choice to use him as a central defender rather than on the left wing as normal despite the Netherlands defeating Belgium.
The 23-year-old appears to be poised to play a crucial part for his country at the World Cup this winter, and his seat on the flight to Qatar appears to be secured. And on Sunday, Malacia added another feather to his cap as he assisted the Oranje in an amazing 1-0 victory over Belgium.
Malacia was one of three central defenders lined up, and Van Gaal claimed he was trialed to compete with Kevin De Bruyne. However, things weren’t always smooth sailing, as Malacia was caught fighting with Van Gaal on the sidelines during a stoppage in play. The United defender has subsequently discussed the conversation and some of the challenges he faced in his new role.
What happened between Malacia and Van Gaal?
During his nation’s 1-0 triumph over Belgium in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday night, Malacia entered the game as a halftime substitute. In the 73rd minute, Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool scored the game-winning goal, and the United full-back contributed to the Netherlands’ clean sheet.
When Malacia was introduced by Van Gaal as a replacement for Nathan Ake, eyebrows were raised. Fans anticipated that Malacia would be used out wide and that Daley Blind would tuck in from left wing-back and take a more central position. However, Malacia played as a left-sided center-back with Van Dijk, while Blind remained at wing-back.
