Aston Villa forward Donyell Malen insists that he isn’t frustrated about being a substitute for the Netherlands under Ronald Koeman.
Voetbal Primeur cover comments from the Aston Villa man today. He has joined the Netherlands for the upcoming international break.
He heads into that full of confidence after bagging his first goals of the season in the 2-1 win over Burnley last weekend.
The question is whether that is enough to earn him a starting place under Ronald Koeman. The Dutch coach is yet to show any extended faith in the 26-year-old.
While he was the man to hand Malen his debut in 2019 when he was just 20, he’s never been a regular starter for him with the Netherlands.
He played 89 minutes in the recent win over Lithuania but before that managed just 11 minutes against Poland, 18 against Matla and stayed on the bench in the win over Finland.
The Netherlands view him as more of an impact player than a key one. However, the Aston Villa forward insists he isn’t frustrated by this role.
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“It doesn’t frustrate me that I’ve been a substitute more often than a starter so far,” he said.
“Of course, you sometimes want to play more, but in life, you don’t get everything you want. So, I’m trying to look at it differently. I want to be so mentally strong that I can also put up statistics when I come on as a substitute.”
Strangely, Malen has scored more for the Netherlands as a substitute than a starter. That’s something he admits he needs to work on.
“I have no idea how that’s possible,” he added.
“But I think it does mean I’m mentally strong, because of course, it’s not fun to be on the bench. Sometimes you get disappointed. But when you’re not playing, you have to be ready to help your teammates and the team. I think I’ve managed that well so far.”
