- A Manchester United defender has said his farewells to his team-mates
- The player is looking to secure a loan move to Benfica before the deadline
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Manchester United defender Tyrell Malacia has said his farewells to teammates at Carrington as he looks to join Benfica.
The Dutch left-back is set to follow Marcus Rashford by leaving Old Trafford on a temporary basis.
Rashford has bid farewell to his United team-mates ahead of his loan move to Aston Villa.
Malacia has endured much misfortune with injury during his time at United and has made just 47 appearances for the club since joining in 2022.
The 25-year-old’s contract at United runs until the summer of 2026 but he is now set for a loan switch to Benfica. He also had interest from Real Betis and Celtic.
Patrick Dorgu’s arrival from Lecce has pushed Malacia further down the pecking order at United.
Manchester United defender Tyrell Malacia is closing in on a loan move to Benfica
Marcus Rashford is also set to leave United on loan by securing a move to Aston Villa
Malacia is set to be allowed to leave as he isn’t considered a key part of Ruben Amorim’s plans
Malacia has featured just three times for United in the Premier League this season.
He started his career at Feyenoord and has nine caps for the Netherlands but hasn’t featured for his country since 2023.
United have also secured the signing of young centre-back Ayden Heaven from Arsenal.
Rashford, meanwhile, has agreed personal terms ahead of his expected move to Villa.
Villa boss Unai Emery is eager to add to his attacking options following Jhon Duran’s £65million move to Al-Nassr.
Rashford, who fell out of favour under Ruben Amorim, is set to complete his loan move to Villa within the next 24 hours.
Rashford’s wages of about £350,000 are well in excess of the salary of Villa’s top earner, thought to be Emi Martinez.
It is understood Villa will contribute around 70 per cent of Rashford’s salary plus performance-based clauses. The agreement is also set to include a buy option at the end of the season.
Malacia has made 47 appearances for United since he arrived at the club in 2022
In total Rashford has made 426 appearances for United and has scored 138 goals.
He hasn’t played for United since the Europa League game against Viktoria Plzen on December 12.
