“It’s a shame” – Belief player made mistake joining Aston Villa, could have been better elsewhere

Ian Maatsen made a mistake choosing Aston Villa over Borussia Dortmund this summer as he continues to barely feature at Villa Park.

That’s according to Rafael van der Vaart, via Mee Met Oranje, who believes that it’s a shame the full-back has struggled to break in under Unai Emery.

Maatsen was one of several new signings to arrive at Aston Villa this summer, joining in a €44.5m deal from Chelsea at the beginning of July.

The move to Villa was something of a surprise as it had been expected he would join Borussia Dortmund on a permanent basis after a successful loan spell last season.

He spent the second half of the campaign with the German club, quickly establishing himself as their starting left-back and playing a big role as they made it to the Champions League final.

Talks between them and Chelsea went on for some time about a permanent deal before Aston Villa then swooped and got the transfer done instead.

Maatsen has barely featured for Aston Villa this season, though, with just 530 minutes of football in 14 appearances so far. That’s a shame according to Van der Vaart, who believes the 22-year-old may be regretting his choice.

“I think if you are at Dortmund and you go to Aston Villa…”, Van der Vaart said on Ziggo Sport.

“With all due respect to Aston Villa, but then you really have to play basics. Things can go a bit wrong, but I think it’s a shame that he plays so little.

“At Dortmund he was fantastic and a basic player. It would have been nice to stay! I get it, money and I know it all. But I think it’s a shame.”