Malachi grabbing his chance Down Under: “I'm thankful to the manager, he's shown a lot of trust in me”
Malachi Hardy is thankful for being handed the opportunity to impress so far in pre-season – and the young defender is determined to make the most of it.
The Academy graduate’s performances in pre-season haven’t gone unnoticed – he’s been name-checked a couple of times in interviews by Roberto De Zerbi. “Malachi is another good player for the future of the club,” he told us in Auckland.
Malachi, 18, has started both games on tour – Auckland in New Zealand, a 2-0 win on Sunday and now Sydney FC, a 1-1 draw before we won on penalties at the Allianz Stadium.
Speaking to us after impressing again against Sydney, Malachi said: “It's going really well. I'm thankful to the manager, he's shown a lot of trust in me and a lot of the boys are getting behind me and supporting me as well. I feel like when I come on and when I start, I know that I can just be comfortable doing what I usually do. So, yeah, it's been really good.”
Malachi was one of three Academy players to start alongside Tye Hall and Rio Kyerematen with another six featuring off the bench.
“I think looking forward, especially for the younger ones looking up to us as well, they know that there's a pathway, there's opportunities for all of us,” added Malachi. “Quite a lot of us featured and the game before, so it's promising for the future.
“We know that we can be around it and I think we've all settled in quite well as well, so it's good.”