Donyell Malen joined Aston Villa from Borussia Dortmund in January
Donyell Malen
Donyell Malen(Image: Getty Images)
Unai Emery put an arm around Donyell Malen before he left for international duty with the Netherlands after the forward's difficult start at Aston Villa.
Malen joined Villa from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth around £20m in January but was left out of Emery’s Champions League squad for the knockout stages following the loan arrivals of Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio, and Axel Disasi.
The 26-year-old made his Villa debut at the end of January against Wolves, before having a goal harshly chalked off by VAR in his second appearance, which would have been an equaliser at Molineux.
Malen started successive games against Tottenham in the FA Cup and Ipswich Town in February but has only played more than 12 minutes once in Villa’s last five games, excluding Champions League ties.
“The adaptation of the players when they join us is different for each one,” Emery explained.
“When we had issues deciding the squad for the Champions League, it was not easy for Donyell and Andrés. But I spoke with him three weeks ago, before the break.
“I told him, ‘I am happy with you; your adaptation is going well. You arrived here last month not playing, and to get fit was the first objective. Then, it was about adapting to our structure and being versatile in different positions.’
“‘You played as a striker and on the right side, and you have to focus on yourself to get better and adapt to everything. I am happy—we need you ready to play'.
“That was the message. Of course, he played with his national team, and it is fantastic for him to play there.
“Now he has come back. He started training on Wednesday and Thursday, worked very well, and is ready for the match on Sunday.
“Being versatile is very important for us, and hopefully, he will help us a lot.”
What do you make of Malen's start at Villa? Tell us here