Forgotten £15m Man United defender returns to Carrington after failing to train for ALL of last season

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A Manchester United star has returned to Carrington after not hitting the grass for the entirety of last season.

The £15million star had to sit out the whole 2023-24 campaign after a promising first season at Old Trafford. 

Struggling with a knee meniscus injury, the 24-year-old had surgery in the Netherlands in pre-season and a second one in November.

That meant he had to start his rehab from scratch and United announced in December that he had suffered a 'setback'.

The player in question is, of course, none other than Tyrell Malacia, who United signed from Feyenoord for £14.6m in 2022. 

Tyrell Malacia has been pictured exercising at Carrington after missing all of last season

The 24-year-old did keepy-ups as he continued his recovery alone under the match of medics

He underwent two surgeries last season and the Dutchman's last action came in June 2023 

In the first pictures of Malacia at their Carrington training centre this summer, he is seen running and doing keepy-ups alone. 

He is still under the guidance of medical staff and has not returned to full training, which has seen the likes of Jadon Sancho reintegrated after last season's exile. 

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His last action came for the Netherlands against Croatia in the UEFA Nations League semi-final in June 2023. 

The Athletic reported in April that Malacia went against the advice of United when it was decided last summer to undergo surgery on his knee after discomfort in pre-season training.

United proposed a surgeon in London but Malacia wanted the operation carried out by his own choice of surgeon in the Netherlands, they say.

The club accepted his request and the operation was conducted away from the club's oversight.

In the autumn, however, as Malacia slowly worked back to fitness, scans revealed small fragments of cartilage remained around the meniscus.

Malacia was given the option of undergoing a second operation to remove the fragments, or to continue with his rehabilitation programme.

Erik ten Hag revealed that Malacia had not managed to train for a single minute last season 

Malacia made 39 appearances in all competitions in the 2022-23 season, his first at United 

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The decision was made to go under the knife of the same surgeon again in November, but this time with representatives from United overseeing it.

However, this meant Malacia had to start his rehab from scratch, with United announcing in December he'd suffered a 'setback' but would 'return to action early next year.'

Ten Hag said speaking to Dutch outlet Voetbal International: 'Tyrell Malacia didn't play a single minute of football this season. In fact, he didn't even spend a single moment out on the training pitch. We signed him as our back-up for Luke Shaw.'