Donyell Malen left out of Netherlands’ World Cup squad
By Tushar Bahl
Donyell Malen will not be going to Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup after being left out of the Netherlands’ 26-man squad.
Netherlands head coach Louis van Gaal has named his final squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and Donyell Malen has failed to make the cut. The Borussia Dortmund forward has not been able to make the desired impact on a consistent basis so far this season, and has been left out of his national team’s World Cup squad as a result.
Malen joined Borussia Dortmund from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven last year following Jadon Sancho’s departure, and there were high expectations surrounding his move.
But he has been limited to just ten goals and nine assists in 54 appearances across all competitions for the Black and Yellows. He has managed to find the net just once in 16 appearances so far this season, and that goal came back in July in the DFB-Pokal tie against third division side 1860 Munich.
The 23 year old was part of the Netherlands squad for last year’s European Championships, but has since lost his place in the team.
Donyell Malen was included in the Netherlands’ provisional squad for the World Cup. But Louis van Gaal has opted to go with the likes of Memphis Depay, Cody Gakpo, Xavi Simons, Noa Lang, Steven Bergwijn, Luuk de Jong, Wout Weghorst, and Vincent Janssen as his options in attack for the tournament in Qatar.
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The Netherlands will go up against Senegal, Qatar and Ecuador in the group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.