Ian Maatsen chose the wrong club in Aston Villa in the summer, who haven’t used him enough this season.
That’s according to Rafael van der Vaart, via Voetbal Primeur, who has been speaking about the Aston Villa defender during an appearance on Rondo.
Maatsen moved to Aston Villa from Chelsea in the summer for €44.5m after a successful loan spell at Borussia Dortmund in the second half of last season that saw him play a key role as they made it to the Champions League final.
He joined Unai Emery’s side on the crest of a wave but has struggled to break through beyond Lucas Digne, largely playing a back-up role behind the Frenchman throughout this campaign.
That’s been frustrating for the Dutchman, who had offers to move elsewhere and particularly at Dortmund, who couldn’t work out the financial details with Chelsea and were eventually beaten to the punch by Aston Villa.
Maatsen may now be regretting that decision, despite having publically insisted he is happy at Villa Park and convinced he’s on the right track.
Van der Vaart isn’t sure, though, and believes the defender made the wrong choice in the summer.
“I think he made the wrong choice by choosing Aston Villa. He has to play, play, play,” he said.
“He was really good at Dortmund and then he chooses England, probably more money and they are really building something up.
“It’s the same with Malen. They got him for €40m, but he’s not playing either. They haven’t even registered him for the Champions League.”
