Tyrell Malacia masterclass vs Antony showed Erik ten Hag he's ideal for Manchester United

It won’t come as any great surprise to anyone in the Netherlands that Erik ten Hag looks set to make Tyrell Malacia his first signing at Manchester United.

The new United boss is being linked with a string of his former Ajax protégés this summer. Progress is being made with Frenkie de Jong, while Antony and Jurrien Timber are also on his wish list.

Despite the obvious connection to the Eredivisie champions, it’s Ajax’s rivals who look set to provide Ten Hag with his first new addition at Old Trafford. Malacia’s signing may come as a surprise to some, considering left-back wasn’t seen as an immediate priority heading into the summer.

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Given Malacia’s showings against Ajax over the years though, it’s no surprise that Ten Hag wanted to grab him at the first opportunity. In fact, one of his other targets may well be hoping to join him, just so he doesn’t have to come up against the defender again.

Malacia has been one of the Netherlands’ brightest prospects over the years, and he tends to save his best performances for De Klassieker. Over the past couple of years, he’s managed to silence none other than Antony during the fixture.

"The Tyrell Malacia who played against Antony, that's the whole package,” former Feyenoord defender Ruud Heus commented earlier this year. “Antony is fast, Malacia too, Antony is agile, Malacia too.

"You talk about an attacker from the Brazilian team who has trouble with this left-back. If you can do that, you can do a lot. Tyrell has everything for his position: he stands his ground defensively, is fast, dynamic, agile and can fall back on a good technique."

Given Ten Hag's admiration for Antony, the