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By TOM COLLOMOSSE Published: 02: 00 AEST, 5 May 2025 | Updated: 07: 48 AEST, 5 May 2025 7 View comments With the finishing line coming ever closer, Aston Villa need a sprinter like Donyell Malen to help them cross it ahead of their rivals. The Dutchman has had a curious few months. He was bought by Aston Villa for £20million in January, enticed by the chance to continue playing in the Champions League after leaving Borussia Dortmund. With his feet barely under the table, Malen saw fellow attackers Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio also move to Villa Park in the winter. Both players have a higher profile and quickly overshadowed the Malen deal, even though they are only on loan. And when Unai Emery also brought in defender Axel Disasi on loan from Chelsea, Malen found himself out of the Champions League picture, the victim of UEFA rules that allow clubs to add no more than three winter signings to their squads for Europe. To say Malen was disappointed would be an understatement. Even in the Premier League and the FA Cup, he struggled to find a place in the team and the 26-year-old has still made only two starts in the league for Villa. Yet with Rashford injured, Malen is the quickest attacker Villa have.   Aston Villa need a sprinter like Donyell Malen to help them cross the finish line before rivals He was bought for £20m but has struggled to find a place in the Premier League and FA Cup Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford arrived and he was excluded from the European squad  More importantly, he is relatively fresh. Morgan Rogers has been Villa's best forward this season but with 4, 214 minutes under his belt this term, it is no surprise he is starting to look tired. Ollie Watkins is not far behind on 3, 299.   Malen, by contrast, has clocked up only 1, 144 for Dortmund and Villa combined. Despite his limited playing time, he has still managed three goals for Villa, averaging one every 98 minutes. In the 1-0 win over Fulham, Malen was lively as a late substitute and hit the underside of the bar in stoppage time. There is still a rawness to Malen's football that is unusual in a player with eight years in senior football and 42 caps for the Netherlands. It sometimes feels as though his feet move a touch quicker than his brain.   Too often when he needs to hit the brakes, Malen keeps his foot to the floor. The head might stay down when he needs to look up. This sometimes means wild efforts blasted into the crowd or crosses fired across the face of goal when a simple pass, rolled to a team-mate, would do the trick. In Villa's current position, though, this unpredictability is no bad thing. Though he has not been prolific, Rashford's speed brings an extra dimension to Villa's attack.   With the on-loan Manchester United man still sidelined with a hamstring injury, Villa have looked a little one-paced going forward. Malen can change that – as long as Emery can take the rough with the smooth. One of the Basque coach's favourite words is 'structure' and new signings take time to understand his detailed tactical requirements. For someone like Malen, there will inevitably be teething problems. There is a rawness to Malen's game but this unpredictability is no bad thing for Villa Villa have looked a little one-paced going forward without Rashford and Malen can change that For someone like Malen, there will inevitably be teething problems in Unai Emery's structure Youri Tielemans has been Villa's player of the year but struggled to make an impact in his first season. Only now is Ian Maatsen starting to challenge Lucas Digne for the left back spot despite arriving last summer.   Whether Villa qualify for the Champions League, Europa League or Europa Conference League, Malen will be confident he can play a significant role next term. But with Villa probably needing 10 points from their remaining four matches to secure a top-five finish, Malen can make the difference here and now. Malen is the sort of player defenders hate. He is on the move constantly. He rattles off shots aplenty – 3. 69 per match on average across the last 12 months, putting him in the top three per cent of wide forwards across Europe's strongest five leagues. Even though he is only 5ft 10ins, Malen loves a physical duel and will buffet markers who are much taller than he is. Emery prizes versatility among his forwards and Malen can play on either flank as well as through the middle. He is unselfish, too, and popular with his team-mates. Malen's attitude since joining Villa suggests he is made of the right stuff. Many players would down tools if they were signed for £20m and then told they could not play in the Champions League. Yet Mail Sport understands Malen has trained ferociously since day one at Bodymoor Heath.   Though Emery spends a great deal of time meeting players individually, these talks are usually to discuss their particular jobs in a forthcoming game. He does not spend a great deal of time explaining why he has picked some players and left out others.   It takes a strong mentality to handle this and, again, Malen seems to be passing the test. Asensio has struggled to handle the pace of the game at times and Malen could be the answer Malen will feel he has done more than enough to merit his chance over the rest of the season What he needs now is a run of matches. With Asensio struggling to handle the pace of the game when he is in the starting line-up, Malen could be the answer – especially on Saturday at Bournemouth, who will present a serious test of endurance. Unlike many clubs at this stage of the campaign, Emery has most of his players available. It is now a question of making the right choices and Malen will feel he has done more than enough to merit his chance.

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