Alan Shearer has included Manchester United star Tyrell Malacia in his Premier League Team of the Week for his performance on Monday night, praising the new Old Trafford man for keeping Liverpool ace Mo Salah “quiet”.
Malacia, 23, was handed his first start for Manchester United on Monday night. Erik ten Hag threw him in at the deep end against Liverpool, after making substitute appearances against Brighton and Brentford in the first two games.
Replacing Luke Shaw, the pressure was on for the Netherlands star. United desperately needed a performance and a result, but coming up against a Liverpool side, the odds were stacked against them. However, they won 2-1.
A superb performance against a flat-looking Liverpool side, thanks to goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford. Malacia lasted the entire 90 minutes and Shearer has applauded him for keeping Salah quiet, despite his goal.
“To keep Mohamed Salah quiet for most of the match on such a big occasion was no mean feat, Shearer said, in his Premier League Team of the Week column. He also included United goalscorer Rashford, for his superb winner.
Shearer has included Malacia for keeping Liverpool ace Salah ‘quiet’
Joining Manchester United for just £14.7million from ten Hag’s old side Ajax, Malacia looks a real bargain. Ten Hag identified the left-back area as a position that required strengthening, given Alex Telles and Luke Shaw’s form.
Shaw has been inconsistent ever since scoring in the final of the European Championships. Meanwhile, Telles really failed to make his mark. Manchester United have not been able to really have a telling impact on Liverpool recently.
But on Monday, they did – and in terms of personal duels, Malacia did just that. Coming up against one of the world’s best players in his first-ever Premier League start, the Netherlands international could not have hoped for better.
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