Donyell Malen major surprise at Aston Villa – ‘My head would have gone’
Donyell Malen’s situation at Aston Villa has come as a major surprise to Rio Ferdinand and elicited a strong response from Alan Hutton.
The new signing has not featured since the 2-1 victory over Chelsea last month, missing games against Crystal Palace and Cardiff City, but even before that, he had just six appearances to his name.
Prior to his move to the Premier League, the 26-year-old had just competed in the Champions League final, eventually losing out to Real Madrid before starring on the European stage with the Netherlands.
Supporters were very excited by his arrival at Villa Park, but he was quickly forgotten about when Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio joined Villa on loans until the end of the season.
With multiple players being signed during the winter transfer window, Unai Emery had an incredibly tough decision to make when it came to his Champions League squad, with Malen and Andres Garcia overlooked.
Donyell Malen left out of Champions League squad by Unai Emery
Hutton doesn’t believe he would have reacted at all well if he had been in the same situation as the new winter arrival at Villa.
Speaking via TNT Sports [4 March], he said: “If I’d be signed during the January window, and being the first, and I was left out of the Champions League squad, my head would have gone – it would have fallen off.
“With Asensio and Rashford coming in, you don’t understand, but you get what they can bring to the team. They’re on the big wages for these moments, to make the difference.”
Aston Villa continue to fight on all fronts after Club Brugge victory
Malen still has an incredibly important role to play for Villa this season, even if he is not involved in the Villans’ search for glory in the Champions League.
Of course, Rashford, who Villa fans already want permanently, has stolen the spotlight, but Emery’s team is battling in the Champions League, Premier League, and even the FA Cup right now.
| Aston Villa’s next 5 fixtures |
| Brentford (A) |
| Club Brugge (H) |
| Preston North End (A) |
| Brighton (A) |
| Nottingham Forest (H) |
With just five points separating Villa from the top-four spots in the Premier League, there is no reason why Malen cannot be one of the key figures to launch the club up the table.
The likes of Real Madrid, Arsenal, Liverpool and Barcelona make it highly unlikely that the Villans will reach the Champions League final, so securing qualification again is vital.
Lifting the FA Cup trophy would also be an incredible achievement, so while being left out of the Champions League squad seems harsh, there are still multiple ways to prove himself at Villa Park.