Sebastian Kehl backing Donyell Malen to come good at Borussia Dortmund

Sebastian Kehl is confident that Donyell Malen can make an impact at Borussia Dortmund despite the forward’s three month goal drought.

Donyell Malen is enduring a difficult second season at Borussia Dortmund and hasn’t scored for the club since finding the back of the net in the DFB-Pokal first round tie against third division side 1860 Munich in late July. But Sebastian Kehl has said that they have full confidence in the Dutch forward.

In an interview with Ruhr Nachrichten, the Borussia Dortmund sporting director said:

"“He is not yet where he wants to be with his performances and where we see him with his ability. But we firmly believe in him. His goal output has not been satisfactory, that’s obvious. There’s only one way to change that: hard work.”"

The last 18 months have been very difficult for Donyell Malen, who joined Borussia Dortmund from PSV Eindhoven following Jadon Sancho’s departure last year for a fee in the region of 30 million euros. The 23 year old has struggled to get going in the Bundesliga and has managed just ten goals and nine assists in 53 appearances across all competitions for the Black and Yellows.

After an underwhelming debut campaign, Malen made a very encouraging start to this season. And there was real hope that he could make a big impact for Borussia Dortmund. But that early season momentum appears to have fizzled out, and his performances have left fans frustrated more often than not in recent weeks.

While Malen retains the support of the Borussia Dortmund bosses for now, Ruhr Nachrichten report that things could change if the forward fails to show any significant progress by the end of the season. And a move away from the club could then become a potential topic in the summer.