Aston Villa striker Donyell Malen has expressed his surprise after learning about an unusual statistic he is 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, which defeated Malta 4-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday and will play Finland on Sunday afternoon.
The Villa man was interviewed by Football Scoop while away with his national team and was made aware of an unusual quirk in his performance records as an international footballer.
Malen seems to be more effective for the Netherlands as a substitute than when he is in the starting line-up. He scored ten times from the bench, but only once when he was on the field from kick-off. Half of his international assists also come from the bench.
“I have no idea how that is possible,” admitted the former PSV and Borussia Dortmund winger.
“But I think it means that I am mentally strong, because of course it is not fun to sit 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 done a good job of that so far.”
Grind the impact player
Malen is not unnecessarily frustrated about his role as an impact substitute in a national team packed with attacking talent. Dutch boss Ronald Koeman, the manager who gave Malen his international debut in an earlier period in charge, received ample proof of his potential 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 would happen in many of his 45 caps.
“It doesn’t frustrate me that so far I have been a substitute more often than a starter,” he said.
“Of course sometimes you want to play more, but in life you don’t get everything you want.
“So I try to look at it differently. I want to be so mentally strong that I can also put up statistics when I am a substitute.”
Before Malen braced against Burnley in Villa’s final Premier League game, he had also showcased his abilities as a substitute for his new club.
He scored in three consecutive games 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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