Tyrell Malacia shares why Ruben Amorim has been so tough on Man Utd players, calling it the ‘bomb squad’ approach.
Pressure is building on Michael Carrick at Manchester United because the team has had a rough start to the season, especially after losing to Como in the Champions League. Some fans think certain players should leave and that the club needs a new manager.
A similar situation happened to Ruben Amorim, the last manager to face this kind of criticism. When Amorim started his first full season managing Man United, he famously sent players like Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, and Tyrell Malacia to the so-called “bomb squad,” meaning they trained separately from the main team.
Now, Malacia has opened up about what it was like for those players during that tough time. In an interview with the BBC, he talked about training alone or with youth teams at Carrington while other players left the club. The manager had told them they could leave, and many did—Antony went to Real Betis, Garnacho joined Chelsea, Rashford moved to Barcelona, and Sancho went on loan to Aston Villa.
Malacia, however, wasn’t able to leave and was stuck training with the youth squads. He didn’t make a senior appearance until Boxing Day, just 10 days before Amorim was let go. Malacia thought he would get a chance to prove himself after returning from injury, but instead, he was sent to train separately.
He said, “I don’t really know why it happened. I just kept working hard, even though training with only a few people was tough mentally. When the others left, I trained alone with the second team, under-18s, and younger groups. It was hard, but I stayed positive. I could have stopped coming, but I thought that wouldn’t help me.”
Even though Malacia stayed fit, many wondered why he wasn’t playing. When Amorim was sacked and Carrick became the new manager, Malacia hoped for a fresh start. But he only made two substitute appearances in the next five months and left the club at the end of the season when his contract expired. He now plays in the MLS for FC Cincinnati.
Looking back on his last months at Man United, Malacia shared, “I had a good talk with Michael Carrick when he came. I wanted to leave, but some injuries meant I had to stay because the team needed players. That was hard to accept because I wasn’t playing but couldn’t leave. Michael explained the situation to me, and I understood.”
He added, “At the end of the day, everyone is looking out for themselves first, but also for the team. The manager wants to do a good job and keep his position. Still, I don’t regret anything. My first season there was great, and the people and players I met were amazing. I really enjoyed my time at the club.”