With Turkey 4-0 down and a man light following Caglar Soyuncu’s first-half dismissal, the last thing Senol Gunes needed was to see Donyell Malen pull of his tracksuit top, pull on that iconic Oranje jersey and step off the bench with half an hour remaining at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
After a goalless start to his Borussia Dortmund career, the former PSV Eindhoven talisman obviously felt that he had a point to prove on Tuesday night.
And, as Louis van Gaal’s rejuvinated Netherlands side produced a performance full of intensity, authority and swagger – a fitting tribute to Total Voetbal at the stadium bearing Cruyff’s name – it didn’t take long for Malen to make his mark.
A stoppage-time strike, swept into the bottom corner with consummate composure, was the glacier cherry on top of a superb 30-minute cameo.
The highlight, however, was not the goal – Holland’s sixth of a 6-1 win – but an outstanding piece of skill on the left hand side.
Surrounded by Turkish bodies, Malen coaxed an audible gasp from an awe-struck crowd, dribbling his way out of danger like a gazelle skipping his way through a pack of bloodthirsty lions.
Should Liverpool have signed Donyell Malen?
Dortmund paid £26 million to sign Malen in July and, on last night’s evidence, it won’t be long before the Signal Iduna Park stops pining for Jadon Sancho and embraces the man under pressure to step into his shoes.
But if things had been different – if the pandemic had never happened, if the Liverpool’s finances had not taken such a battering – the one-time Arsenal prospect may instead be competing with Sadio Mane or Roberto Firmino for a first-team place at Anfield this season.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Liverpool were preparing a bid for their own for Malen before Dortmund came calling.
Two months ago, a potential player-plus-cash swap deal involving Marko Grujic was also being discussed, via O Jogo.
But as the frustration grows towards the increasingly unpopular Fenway Sports Group owners, Malen’s 30-minute exhibition will have done little to quell the growing fears that Liverpool are standing still as their rivals make big steps forward.
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