Sahin “expects more” from Malen

Nuri Sahin has explained why Donyell Malen has started two consecutive games from the bench, saying he “expects more” from the Dutchman.

There have been reports in the German media recently suggesting that Donyell Malen has been the subject of internal criticism at Borussia Dortmund over his recent performances and mentality.

Following Dortmund’s DFB-Pokal exit at the hands of Wolfsburg last week, Malen was dropped to the bench for the 2-1 win over RB Leipzig at the weekend.

The Dutchman also started on the bench against Sturm Graz on Tuesday, coming on as a substitute to score the winning goal.

Speaking after the game, BVB coach Nuri Sahin said that he believes the 25-year-old is on the right track and that he “expects more” from him going forward.

“I spoke to him a few days ago and told him I wasn’t happy with his performance against Wolfsburg. That was also the reason why he was on the bench recently,” said Sahin.

“’Donny’ is a very important player for us who defines himself by scoring goals, but I told him that I expect more from him. Today he made a crucial clearance in the 94th minute. That’s the ‘Donny’ I want to see.”