Donyell Malen
Donyell Malen may be enjoying a stunning resurgence in Italy since his arrival from Aston Villa, but not everyone is buying into the growing excitement.
While AS Roma and Italian media rave about his form, Dutch journalist Valentijn Driessen is urging caution, arguing that the forward’s revival doesn’t’ automatically make him a starter for the Netherlands at the World Cup.
Malen’s impressive form post Aston Villa
Donyell Malen has been in impressive form since joining Roma on loan from Aston Villa in the January transfer window.
He’s managed 10 goals in 12 games in Serie A, including hattrick in the 3-0 win over Pisa last Saturday. The 27-year-old has already bettered the 10 goals he managed in 46 games in all competitions for Aston Villa.
The Italian media are very impressed. They’ve been praising the striker since he arrived, even questioning why Aston Villa let him go. Unai Emery has since insisted it was a good deal for everyone.
In the meantime, Malen continues to impress, making himself an almost shoe-in to feature for the Netherlands at the World Cup this summer.
Driessen isn’t convinced
Speaking on De Telegraaf’s Kick-Off podcast, though, Valentijn Driessen poured cold water on the growing optimism.
He argued that Donyell Malen’s form says more about the level of Serie A than a sudden leap in quality.
“Italian football isn’t that impressive, and you can see that with Donyell Malen, who is becoming top scorer at AS Roma. At Aston Villa, he was just sitting on the bench,” PSV Inside report him saying.
“If he were really that good, he would have simply been in the starting lineup there (at Aston Villa).”
Memphis Depay preferred
For Driessen, the national team picture is straightforward: a fully fit Memphis Depay starts, no matter how well Malen is performing in Italy.
Depay’s fitness remains uncertain, but Driessen believes that’s Malen’s only realistic path to the No. 9 role.
“He just has to hope for one thing, and that is that Memphis Depay is injured. Otherwise, he really isn’t going to play up front, despite his form,” he concluded.
“You didn’t see that form at all against Norway, did you? He was decent, but it was nothing special.”