Sebastian Kehl heaps praise on Donyell Malen after stunning performance against 1860 Munich

Sebastian Kehl was full of praise of Donyell Malen after the forward delivered a man of the match performance during Borussia Dortmund’s 3-0 win over 1860 Munich on Friday.

Donyell Malen delivered one of his best performances in a Borussia Dortmund shirt on Friday evening as he led his side to a 3-0 win over 1860 Munich in the first round of the DFB-Pokal.

The Netherlands international opened the scoring early on, before setting up goals for Jude Bellingham and Karim Adeyemi in the first half. Malen also created a number of other chances for his teammates, with his directness and ability to take players on making life very difficult for the 1860 Munich defenders.

And BVB sporting director Sebastian Kehl heaped praise on him after the game.

"“I thought Donny Malen played very, very well,” Kehl said. “He has taken a real step forward, he worked hard for that over the summer. He seems fresher, lighter, more positive. You could see this self-confidence in quite a few of his actions (against 1860 Munich).”"

Malen’s performance against 1860 Munich is a very encouraging sign for Borussia Dortmund going into the new season. The 23 year old earned a lot of praise for the work he put in during pre-season, and he could be set for a breakthrough season with BVB.

Malen will certainly be determined to make his mark this season, especially with the FIFA World Cup coming up in November. The talented forward had an underwhelming debut season at Borussia Dortmund after joining the club last summer from PSV Eindhoven. But a strong start to the new season could go a long way in helping him win his spot back in the Netherlands starting XI.

Donyell Malen will have a crucial role to play this season for Borussia Dortmund in their bid to win the Bundesliga title.