Aston Villa star surprised by weird statistic achieved on international duty

Aston Villa forward Donyell Malen has expressed his surprise after learning about an unusual statistic he’s responsible for at international level.

Villa players are currently away on international duty. Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins both scored for England against Wales at Wembley on Thursday, with defender Ezri Konsa claiming an assist.

Malen is with the Netherlands, who beat Malta 4-0 on Thursday in a World Cup qualifying match and will take on Finland on Sunday afternoon.

The Villa man was interviewed by Voetbal Primeur while he’s been away with his national team and was informed of an unusual quirk in his performance data as an international footballer.

Malen appears to be more effective for the Netherlands as a substitute than he is when named in the starting line-up, scoring 10 times from the bench but just once when he’s been on the pitch from kick-off. Half of his international assists have also come off the bench.

“I have no idea how that’s possible,” admitted the former PSV and Borussia Dortmund winger.

“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.”

Malen the impact player

Malen isn’t unnecessarily frustrated about his role as an impact substitute in a national team packed with attacking talent. Oranje boss Ronald Koeman, who was the manager who gave Malen his international debut in a previous spell in charge, was given ample evidence of his potency that day.

Malen scored as a substitute in a 3-2 win against Germany in a European Championship qualifier in 2019, setting the tone for what was to come in many of his 45 caps.

“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.”

Before Malen’s brace against Burnley in Villa’s last Premier League fixture, he had demonstrated his capabilities as a substitute for his new club too.

He scored in three consecutive fixtures in April, once against Nottingham Forest as a starter and twice, against Brighton & Hove Albion and Southampton, after coming on as a substitute.

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