Malacia has made Manchester United think

"It's not easy for Tyrell," Stam said through The Red Devils' official channels. The former club player, who won the treble in 1999, recognizes that Malacia faces tough competition. "He has Luke Shaw ahead of him, who is defensively very good and improving. But Malacia is also developing in his shadow. Erik ten Hag knows that as soon as he needs him, he will get the job done."

Ten Hag brought Malacia from Feyenoord last summer, seeing him as a welcome reinforcement and increasing the pressure on Shaw. "Tyrell did really well at Feyenoord before coming to England. He's a modern defender. When he arrived in the Premier League, he performed strongly. Then came some more challenging games, like against Manchester City (a 6-3 defeat). That made him think."

"Now, he approaches his opponents differently," explained Stam, who had Malacia under his wing as a coach at Feyenoord. "Tyrell is very talented, has speed, and is good on the ball. He can defend too, but he needed to become more aware of the situations on the field. He likes to play aggressively and take risks, but often he needed to read the situations better. He's working on that."