Gasperini praised Donyell Malen after his dream Roma debut against Torino, hailing the Dutch forward as exactly the attacking profile the club needed.
Gian Piero Gasperini was quick to heap praise on Donyell Malen after Roma’s 2-0 win away at Torino, describing the January signing as “exactly what I was looking for” following an instant impact in his first appearance.
Malen enjoyed the perfect start to life in the capital, finding the net on his debut and linking up impressively with Paulo Dybala, who also got on the scoresheet. The pair’s understanding in the final third stood out as Roma controlled large spells of the contest.
Speaking after the match, Gasperini highlighted how Malen has immediately lifted the level of the squad with his presence.
“A player like Malen raises the level of the team,” the Roma coach said. “We played with quality. Dybala had an important match and scored an extraordinary first goal, and he and Malen already understand each other.”
Gasperini then explained why Roma moved decisively to secure the former Aston Villa forward during the January window, underlining how well he fits the team’s tactical needs.
“He scores goals,” Gasperini continued. “He has the characteristics I was looking for: he can free himself with diagonal runs and by attacking space. He has speed and power, which are fundamental for the way we want to play.”
The Italian coach also stressed that Roma intend to build their attacking structure around Malen’s strengths, particularly his ability to operate close to goal.
“We want to build a team that can make the most of his qualities. He needs to play close to the penalty area,” Gasperini added.
Gasperini briefly touched on another January arrival, Robinio Vaz, urging patience with the young attacker as he adapts to Serie A demands.
“He has good qualities, but he’s very young. At his age, it’s not easy to play in Serie A. We can work with him, and in the long term he’s a very good signing,” Gasperini concluded, as Roma look to build momentum in the second half of the season.
