Germany legend slams Dortmund's Sancho replacement after poor start
Stefan Bienkowski
- Updated: 28 Sept 2021 17:41 BST
- 7 min read
Former Germany international Lothar Matthaus has revealed that he’s been far from impressed with new Borussia Dortmund signing Donyell Malen so far this season.
Malen made the move to the Bundesliga club in the summer, when Dortmund paid €30 million for the PSV forward.
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Due to his arrival shortly after the departure of Jadon Sancho for Manchester United, Malen has been labelled as a direct replacement for the England international. Even if they do play in slightly different positions on the pitch.
Regardless, Malen was signed in an attempt to limit the impact of Sancho’s sale to the Premier League giants and Matthaus doesn’t believe he has done enough yet to prove his worth to Dortmund.
’I am disappointed with him so far’
"You can expect a bit more from Donyell Malen,” said the former World Cup winner in his Sky Germany column, following Dortmund’s defeat to Borussia Moenchengladbach at the weekend.
“I am disappointed with him so far. In Gladbach, he hardly got past the opponents and didn't move forward.”
He added: “Of course, you can't replace the Reus/Haaland duo one-to-one, especially not the Norwegian force of nature. But you don't have to offer quite so little.
“Bayern are already four points ahead again, and if Dortmund isn't careful, they'll be a few more in a few weeks, and then it'll be hard to catch up.”
How poor has Malen been for Dortmund?
While Matthaus has a reputation for often being a little outspoken on certain matters, the German pundit is quite right to criticise Malen’s poor performances to date for his new club.
In nine appearances in all competitions, the Dutch forward has yet to register a single goal or assist, despite starting five of those games.
Not only is that a far cry from the 27 goals and 10 assists Malen picked up at PSV last season, but it’s also some way off the 16 goals and 20 assists Sancho provided for Dortmund in that period.
