Malen injury ‘not too bad’, assures Xavi after Netherlands withdrawal

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

The injury that caused Donyell Malen to withdraw from the Netherlands’ squad is “not too bad”, head coach Xavi said in a positive update on the Roma forward.

Malen has been in sensational form since swapping Aston Villa for the Italian capital in January.

Since making his Serie A debut on January 18, Malen has scored 20 goals in 23 appearances in the competition, at least twice as many as any other player in that period (Tasos Douvikas and Lautaro Martinez are next with 10).

He has helped the Giallorossi make a flying start to the new campaign under Gian Piero Gasperini, as they sit top of the table on goal difference heading into the international break.

Like Scudetto holders Inter, they opened 2026-27 with four straight victories, though they did let a 2-0 lead slip in Saturday’s head-to-head clash between the top two, a game that saw Malen play the full 90 minutes.

Roma’s supporters face a nervous wait regarding Malen’s condition after he pulled out of Xavi’s first Oranje squad, with reports suggesting it is a knee issue.

But Xavi does not believe it is a serious injury, having discussed the withdrawals of Malen and Justin Kluivert at a press conference on Monday. 

“It’s a pity, because Donyell is in splendid form, but it happened at the last moment, the same as Kluivert,” Xavi said. “That’s football, you have to adapt.

“I believe Donyell is okay, that it is not too bad. I don’t know how long it will take for him to recover.”

Mexx Meerdink and Guus Til replace Donyell Malen and Justin Kluivert in our squad. 

Get well soon, Donyell & Justin  pic.twitter.com/5mINfuK5Ve

— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) September 20, 2026

Malen has already scored six goals in Serie A this term, more than any other player, while over-performing his 4.6 expected goals (xG).

He has also had more shots on target (10) than any other player in the division and currently boasts a 57.5 minutes-per-goal rate in the Italian top flight.

Malen will sit out the Netherlands’ Nations League meetings with Germany, Serbia (twice) and Greece, with Xavi’s Oranje debut on Thursday pitting him against new Nationalelf boss Jurgen Klopp.

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