Aston Villa fans say the same thing about Donyell Malen as his full Netherlands stats emerge
Donyell Malen could be in line for an improved role at Aston Villa after he shone away from the club on international duty.
Donyell Malen joined Aston Villa in the recent January window for an initial fee of £21million from Borussia Dortmund after spending three-and-a-half years with the German giants.
He was left out of Unai Emery’s Champions League squad and made just 14 Premier League appearances and two starts before the end of the campaign, scoring three times.
Malen has played a bigger part in Villa’s fortunes so far this season, with four goals in 16 games across all competitions, but has still struggled for starts despite Ollie Watkins’ poor form in front of goal.
That could soon be about to change after what he did for the Netherlands while away from Villa Park this week.
Malen delivered a standout Netherlands display
Malen has been a regular in the Dutch national team ever since his debut in 2019, and he was called up for their latest squad after two goals in two games for Villa before the break.
He played 90 minutes as they drew 1-1 with Poland last Friday (14 November), then featured for another full game in a 4-0 win against Lithuania on Monday (17 November) as they confirmed their place at the 2026 World Cup.
While playing off the right-wing, the 26-year-old completed the most dribbles (6) of any player, had 11 touches in the visitors’ box, won seven of his nine duels, won one foul and was not dispossessed all evening.
Malen capped off a fine performance as a team with a stunning goal on the counter-attack as he picked up a clearance just past the halfway line and breezed past numerous defenders to slam a finish home in the 62nd minute.
Villa fans call for Malen to start over Ollie Watkins after Netherlands showing
Watkins was snubbed by England boss Thomas Tuchel for a place in his latest squad, as he has scored just once in 16 appearances for Villa this season.
Fans of their club have now clearly seen enough from both him and Malen to warrant the latter starting more games as a striker, with one taking to X after his goal to say: “Donyell Malen, we’ve been waiting long enough. Surely it’s time we see him start now.”
Another said: “He shines for us when he’s allowed to play and shines for the Netherlands. He needs to be starting every week,” while one fan simply added: “Better than Watkins.”