Manchester United star Tyrell Malacia responds to hilarious claims that he ran away with Kate Middleton after being rarely seen since injury

Manchester United star Tyrell Malacia has responded to rumors that jokingly claimed he had run away with Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, while he was busy with rehab. The left-back also opened up on his road to recovery and how he spent his time away from on-field action.

Speaking to The Athletic, Malacia recalled spending time with his family during rehab in the Netherlands. The left-back has now returned to Manchester and is close to getting back on the pitch with the first team.

When quizzed about the Middleton rumors, he replied:

"No, nothing was true. No, no. I've just been doing my rehab. Especially when I was in Holland, I was close to my family — so just training, family, sleeping... training, family, sleeping. The only thing I've done."

When asked why he did not choose to respond before, he added:

"First of all, I'm not really a guy who's on social media a lot. If it wasn't my cousin or my mum sending me this, I wouldn't even know. Most of the time, a week after I'd find out they were saying this or that. As long as my family and I know I'm good, it's enough. The most important thing is that I know I'm good."

Malacia has not played for Manchester United since the last day of the 2022/23 season, missing 70 games for the club in the process. He has now made his return to the pitch with the U21 side and is keen on getting back into the first-team.

Manchester United star Tyrell Malacia explains why there was a delay in return

Manchester United defender Tyrell Malacia further detailed his emotions when he was recovering from his knee injury. He admitted that he kept dreaming about his return and told The Athletic:

"Every day since the injury. What does [the dream] look like? Just being there… enjoying the pitch, the ball, the fans, my teammates, everything. Pulling my boots on, pulling the shirt on of Man United and being out there."

The Athletic report claimed small fragments of cartilage were spotted around his meniscus after the first surgery. This forced him to undergo another surgery, further delaying his return. He said:

"We spoke to the guy who did my surgery and then we made the decision: we had to do something else. I had to start my rehab over, basically… I had one day to be disappointed and then I had to be like, 'OK, we go again'."

The Athletic reported earlier this year in April that the Manchester United medical team was partially responsible for the defender's delayed comeback. The publication claimed that the staff could not give the left-back enough attention due to the overload of injuries at the club.