Football Italia reports that Xavi has tried to calm concerns over Donyell Malen after the Roma forward withdrew at the last moment from Netherlands duty. Speaking via Calciomercato, the coach said he thinks Malen is “fine” and that the injury is not serious.
The report says Malen missed the Oranje squad for fixtures against Germany, Serbia twice and Greece. Xavi also admitted he does not know how long recovery will take, so the update offers reassurance on severity but not a firm timetable.
The same report places the issue alongside two other Roma absences, with Bryan Cristante and Wesley also pulling out of international duty. For Roma, the useful takeaway is that Malen’s setback is being presented as minor, even if his availability for the immediate club schedule is still not confirmed.
What remains unconfirmed
Malen’s exact recovery timeline.
Whether Malen will be available for Roma’s next fixtures.
Sources & publication record 1 publisher
Single-source report. No independent confirmation is currently counted.
Xavi plays down Roma's Malen concerns: 'I think he is fine, the injury isn't serious' - Football Italia
Source context
This comes from a single Football Italia report quoting Xavi via Calciomercato. The report relays the Netherlands coach’s view rather than an official medical bulletin.
Publication record
Published
AI-assisted reporting, published automatically after source and factual checks. No individual human review before publication is claimed.
Latest update: Xavi publicly downplayed the severity of Malen’s knee problem after the player pulled out of the Netherlands squad.
