Ruben Amorim given huge Man Utd boost as forgotten star makes first appearance in 534 days

Ruben Amorim could be handed a luxury that wasn’t afforded before he was sacked by this season: a fit left-back.

United have been without and this season, with both specialist left-sided defenders unavailable due to injuries. Shaw has since featuring for England in the Euro 2024 final in July due to a calf injury, while Malacia, remarkably, has been out since playing for the Netherlands on June 14, 2023.

Ten Hag was forced to play side-footed full-backs Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui at left-back, while Lisandro Martinez has also shifted over from central defence. But as Amorim’s first game as United boss against Ipswich on November 24 approaches, there is good news behind the scenes at the club.

Malacia has been from a serious knee injury, for close to two months. And on Tuesday night, he took a big step forward, playing for the under-21s in their EFL Trophy tie away to Town.

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The 25-year-old played the first half at the John Smith’s Stadium before being replaced by Harry Amass in a pre-planned substitution when the score was level at 1-1. The League One team went on to win 4-1 against Travis Binnion’s young side, but Malacia successfully played for United for the first time in 534 days, since the 2-1 win over on the final day of the 2022/23 season on May 28.

United have proceeded very carefully with Malacia to try and avoid any more setbacks on his journey to recovery. The Dutchman signed from Feyenoord in the summer of 2022, but has so far only made 39 appearances for the club after missing the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign.

"Of course, we want to motivate him to return, but it’s not so easy when you are so long away,” Ten Hag said in . “Over a season now from an injury to return, but he’s working very hard, he’s progressing really well in this moment.

“He’s making big steps, so we think, at short notice, we can expect him in the team training, and he is a talent, it’s natural. I expect also, soon, he can return into games then.

It remains to be seen whether Malacia returns in a competitive match before fellow left-back Shaw, who has not played for the club since February 18. United’s interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy that Shaw was doing "pitch work and progressing” after returning to first-team training.

had been to confirm a setback for Shaw after the defeat at . "The process is not going as we expected, that's the truth," Ten Hag admitted. "The setback – if you want to call it this – but we want to do it very carefully because when he is now dropping again we have made the wrong process. So we want to be very careful. We know his past.”

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