During the second half of the World Cup qualifier between the Netherlands and Malta, Aston Villa attacker Donyell Malen had only been on the pitch for eight minutes. Despite the appearance as a substitute, the Villa player managed to grab two goals and dish out an assist for La Oranje.
On Monday, Malen's second score of the outing made its way around the social media waves, with the Dutch team account resharing a video of the build-up and eventual strike from the Villa player.
Frenkie de Jong did well to pick the ball up from midfield and find Malen in an advanced position. He deserved the assist for the part that he played. There was still plenty of work to do from the Villa attacker as he took the defender on with confidence in the box.
The stepover and feint made it so that the Malta player was left on the ground, freeing up the shot that Malen was able to put past the keeper, Henry Bonello. In slow motion, as can be seen and was emphasized by the post, the maneuver from the Dutchman looks that much smoother and more composed.
It is always a welcome sight for a Villan to do well while representing his national team and then receive praise for his play on the pitch when away from his club. For Villa fans, it is further evidence of how great of a player Malen is.
Questions about how Aston Villa would look with him in attack more
He is seemingly a tremendous talent for a manager to always be able to turn to and provide a spark off the bench. That can be the role for some players. Sometimes, increasing their time on the pitch does not have the intended result of also translating to a great uptick in production.
In the case of Malen, however, until it is seen for a steady run of play, many Villa supporters would like to see how the Netherlands international does in a greater role than what he is currently being used in.