Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger decided to discard Hale End graduate Donyell Malen back in August 2017. Though Arsenal legend Thierry Henry still holds Malen in high regard, especially after his impressive performances in the Champions League for Borussia Dortmund.
Donyell Malen spent a couple of years in the Arsenal academy and even featured under Thierry Henry when he was the manager of Arsenal’s under-19s. Arsenal eventually let Malen go to PSV.
At PSV, Donyell Malen shined and showed his talent with some excellent performances while scoring 55 goals in 116 appearances for the Eredivisie side. He eventually moved to Borussia Dortmund, although the Dutch star has endured a slow start to life in Germany.
Donyell Malen scored against PSV in what was a 1-1 draw in the Round of 16 clash in the Champions League. Thierry Henry praised the 25-year-old before and after the fixture as he has remained a fan of Malen.
“I like Donyell Malen. I like his story. He is coming back to the ground where he won the league six years ago with Eindhoven. He had to battle cruciate ligaments,” Henry said. “A lot of stories. He was at Ajax as a youngster. He couldn’t cope with it, then he came to Arsenal and couldn’t make it at Arsenal, then he went to Eindhoven and he made a path for himself.”
After Malen scored the opening goal of the game which is his 11th of the season, the Arsenal legend added: “I had him for a year because I was passing my badges there. It didn’t work out for him at Arsenal. I thought he had some quality, but at Arsenal, you have a lot of quality.
“Then he went to Eindhoven and played for a young PSV. That’s the second team and he ended up doing brilliantly, which I am very happy about because, at the very beginning, people were doubting him. He trusted himself and his qualities, with his family, and he made it happen and won the league with PSV.
“Now, he plays for Holland. He scored tonight. It must have been emotional to play against Eindhoven, a team that he won the league with almost six years ago, so I am very happy for him.”
