Molina Deal Complete: Roma Sign Argentine Defender from Atlético Madrid with Scudetto Bonus

Donyell Malen is preparing to return to England as a key figure, having been one of the most successful winter signings in Roma's history since joining from the club in January 2026. The Dutch forward has scored 22 Serie A goals in the 2026 calendar year, making him the top scorer across Europe's five major leagues, ahead of Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal. Tonight's clash at Old Trafford could have featured Malen wearing a different shirt. According to Corriere della Sera, in 2024 Ruud van Nistelrooy, then assistant coach at Manchester United, suggested Malen's name to the Red Devils' hierarchy while he was still at Borussia Dortmund. The English club did not follow up on the proposal, and Malen later moved to Aston Villa before joining Roma. Under Gian Piero Gasperini, his impact has been devastating for the Giallorossi. The forward will face the side that could have bought him two years ago. Tonight's match kicks off at 21:00, and given the form he has shown in Roma colours, Malen could leave Manchester with plenty of regrets.

Donyell Malen has become one of the key figures in Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma, but a link to Manchester United, Roma's Champions League opponents, has come to light. As reported by Corriere della Sera, Ruud van Nistelrooy, then an assistant coach at Manchester United, had identified Malen as a possible reinforcement for the Red Devils' attack in 2024. Malen was playing for Borussia Dortmund at the time. The suggestion never led to a transfer. Malen stayed away from Manchester and his career later took him to Roma. The Dutch forward has since become a central figure in the club's attacking system, with his ability to attack the depth of the defence, move across the front line and find the net making him one of the squad's main outlets. He has stood out not only for his consistent goalscoring but also for his contribution in the more difficult games, often influencing the result. Those qualities explain why Van Nistelrooy had considered him for Manchester United, and they are now an important weapon for Roma as they prepare to face the Premier League club in the Champions League.

Donyell Malen has had a devastating impact at Roma and is arguably the best winter signing in the club's history, according to the report. He is currently the top goalscorer in Europe in 2026, ahead of Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal. The Dutch forward could have moved to England a few years ago, when Manchester United were interested, Corriere della Sera reveals. His compatriot Ruud van Nistelrooy, then an assistant coach at the Red Devils in 2024, pushed for Malen's name while he was playing for Borussia Dortmund. The move never materialised, and tonight Bobby could reignite the regrets.

Roma threw away a two-goal lead at Manchester United in the Champions League, losing 3-2 after a dominant first half in which Soulé and Malen (from the penalty spot) had put them ahead. The collapse follows a similar late unravelling against Real Madrid, and this time the defeat is even more painful. Roma controlled the first half, rattling a United side that looked unrecognisable, before disappearing from the pitch after the break with no reaction and no ability to ease the English pressure. The responsibility, the article argues, must be shared, and head coach Gasperini must accept his part. Taking off Rodrigo Mora at half-time, after the Portuguese had lit up Roma's attacking play, was hard to understand. Pisilli's introduction was meant to bring more substance and dynamism but removed quality and unpredictability, and from that point Roma barely threatened. Replacing the injured Rensch with Lulli, rather than the more experienced Molina, also raised doubts; the young winger suffered badly under the weight of the match and United's pressure. Both choices failed and Gasperini will have to reflect on them. The squad is also showing strain. The absences of Manu Koné and Paulo Dybala were felt, especially when the team needed fresh legs and quality to escape difficult moments. Roma still lack a quick attacking winger who can beat a man and turn a move, something the club sought without success during the summer transfer window. Balerdi, probably the best player on the pitch until then, made a costly error, missing the ball on the cross that allowed Cunha to equalise. A few minutes later it was 3-2. The decisive moment was the penalty awarded to United for a very light contact between Mancini and Cunha, which looked utterly incomprehensible. The retake, after Vásquez had saved the first attempt, was justified because Cristante's foot was already inside the box, but the initial decision that revived a struggling United side remains a source of enormous doubt. Bruno Fernandes's goal reignited United and Old Trafford. The real problem, the article says, was what happened in the minds and legs of the Roma players: as the pace rose and United pressed harder, Roma were gripped by fear of losing a victory already within reach and could not respond. Gasperini acknowledged after the game that this defeat could teach Roma even more than the loss to Real Madrid, and the article agrees, while insisting the problem must be faced rather than hidden behind the refereeing call or the absences. The result leaves Roma's hopes of reaching the Champions League play-off round harder to secure. The club now face Sassuolo on Saturday evening at the Olimpico, a final push before the international break. The article says Roma must recover injured players, energy and composure, and collect three points, while the championship remains the season's main target. Roma have repeatedly shown they can bounce back from disappointment, and the article concludes that the real frustration is seeing how strong this team can be, and how little it still takes for them to stop being so.

Gian Piero Gasperini says Roma's defeat at Old Trafford will teach his side more than the comeback loss to Real Madrid. Roma lost 3-2 to Manchester United in the fourth matchday of the Champions League league phase, after a penalty and a second-half turnaround that swung the game. Roma had dominated the first half and could even have scored a third. Gasperini drew a clear distinction between the two games. He said: "I think it was a different match. Against Real, everything happened in the last 7-8 minutes, with set pieces, from a corner, without other obvious signals. Here it was different after the penalty, which gave them great momentum. We were not able to hold on to that push." Asked whether the goals conceded so close together were down to chance, he replied: "No, there is no chance involved, but the situations are different. In this evening's case, unlike the first half, we were no longer able to have the same strength against their attackers, who were the ones giving us the most difficulty. Then there is the fact that the first goal came from a penalty and the second came after an injury to one of ours. Perhaps it was a moment when the match had rebalanced a little. It's fair that Manchester have a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes of great pressure. If you get through those moments and those episodes unscathed, maybe in the end you win the match too." Alessandro Florenzi asked whether the defeat was part of the team's growth or hurt more than the Real Madrid result, and whether Nahuel Molina could have played to bring international experience. Gasperini said: "Yes, Molina could have played, because as you rightly say he is an international player. But this evening Rensch had started very well, he was having an excellent game. Then he had this injury and I brought on Lulli. Afterwards there were no longer the conditions to make a change. Wesley had an excellent defensive game, and so it went. That was not the reason for the defeat." On the broader question, he added: "I think they are two different matches. Honestly, I believe this match taught us more than the one against Real Madrid. The game with Real was the result of an unexpected ending. This evening we experienced certain moments that can happen in Europe, in environments as important as Old Trafford. We must absolutely learn from them for the future." Gasperini also addressed the second half, when Manchester changed their system, pressed high and stopped Roma playing. He said: "They changed something, they had nothing left to lose and started pressing high. But it was not only that. We should have played in a slightly different way, perhaps using some long balls to take them away from our half. Essentially, though, we could no longer keep track of their attacking players." He added: "We perhaps should have resorted to a few more stoppages and a few more challenges, competitively speaking. We suffered their momentum a little too much, which was then clearly amplified by the penalty and later by the 2-2 episode." Asked about Roma's failure to stop the bleeding in difficult moments, following Mbuemo's double hit off the woodwork after the penalty and the 3-2 goal that came immediately after Leonardo Balerdi's error at 2-2, he said: "Yes, that's how it is. At least this evening it was. It also happened something similar against Real Madrid. Perhaps there is a dip caused by disappointment, when you see a win slip away that you thought you had in your grasp. Against Real Madrid we had it in our grasp, this evening we were still in a good position. Perhaps these episodes mean the team must learn to take some of the pressure of the result off itself, at all costs. It is not only that, although of course the result matters. But this is a match that will surely serve us more than others in order to grow."

Gian Piero Gasperini has spoken after Roma lost to Manchester United in their Champions League fourth-round fixture, a defeat in which a penalty gave the English side real momentum and Roma were unable to hold that surge. Gasperini was asked whether the match echoed the late collapse against Real Madrid. He rejected the comparison: "No, I think it was a different match. Against Real everything happened in the last 8 minutes from set pieces, and there were not such clear signs as there were today, especially after the penalty, which certainly gave them momentum, and we were not able to hold on to that push." On the pattern of conceding goals in quick succession at moments when a result should be managed, Gasperini said there was no coincidence but that the situations were different. "Tonight we did not have the strength against their attackers in the second half. The first goal for them came from this penalty, then came this mistake for the second, at a moment when the match had become a little more balanced. There were those 15 minutes of Manchester pressure, and if you can get through those episodes unscathed, you might even win it." Asked whether this defeat hurt more than the Real Madrid result, Gasperini said: "It was a match. It taught me more than the one against Real Madrid, which was the result of an unexpected ending. In certain moments in Europe, and in environments this strong, it makes us draw something out for the future." Gasperini was also asked whether Mario Molina could have offered the international presence needed in such moments. He said: "Yes, Molina could have come on tonight, but Rensch started very well, then he suffered an injury and I brought on Lulli. After that there were no longer the conditions to make a change. Wesley had an excellent game defensively, and so it went." On why Roma lost the personality they showed in the first half, Gasperini said: "They had nothing left to lose, so they pressed high, and that was to be expected. We had to play a little differently, also using long balls to take them away from our half. Essentially we were no longer able to hold their runners, so they had the better of the pressing and of their attacking moves. This caused us problems, and perhaps we needed a few more stoppages in terms of competitiveness. We were somewhat overwhelmed by their momentum, which was clearly amplified by the penalty and by the episode of the 2-2."