One Aston Villa star has achieved a rather bizarre statistic while out on international duty, something that he himself is trying to get his head around, admitting he has “no idea how that’s possible”.
Villa forward and Netherlands international Donyell Malen has admitted he is still trying to understand an unusual personal record during his time in an orange shirt, scoring more goals as a substitute than when starting.
Now back with the squad for the international break, the 26-year-old confessed his surprise at the strange stat, saying to Dutch outlet Voetbal Primeur: “I have no idea how that’s possible.
“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 headed into the international break full of confidence after netting twice in Aston Villa’s 2-1 win over Burnley last weekend, his first goals of the season, something he’ll be hoping to continue as the Netherlands’ super sub.
That performance under Unai Emery came at a crucial time, with the Dutch forward eager to prove he deserves a starting place for both club and country.
However, his scoring record for the national team has raised some eyebrows. Malen has managed to find the back of the net ten times when coming off the bench for the Netherlands, compared to just once in 18 starts, something he admits seems impossible.
But with his role as a super sub looking quite cemented under Ronald Koeman, the Villa man is remaining optimistic and using it to learn. He added: “It doesn’t frustrate me that I’ve been a substitute more often than a starter so far.
“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.”
Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman, who first handed Malen his senior debut in 2019, has so far preferred to use him as an impact player.
Malen started the recent win over Lithuania but was limited to brief cameos in other matches during the qualifying campaign.
Yet with injuries to other attackers and his strong form for Villa, Malen could be given more opportunities in the coming fixtures to overturn that stat and make a solid impression over the full 90.
