Newly promoted clubs normally find it tough at cracking the top half of their respective league table but Bundesliga newboys Heidenheim proved to be one of the rare exceptions during the 2023-24 season.
American midfielder Lennard Maloney was a major part of that achievement for Heidenheim, helping the club finish eighth in the 18-team division and clinch a spot in this summer’s UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying round. Maloney has quickly become a key player for Heidenheim since his arrival in 2022, helping the club win the 2. Bundesliga and quickly impress in the top-flight.
After making a positive impression in his two years at the club, Maloney has high expectations for Heidenheim to continue building off of last season’s success.
“The goal for this season is just to repeat what we did last year,” Maloney told SBI in an interview. “Nobody knows how well that will go but personally I’m just trying to do my best and keep improving in the game. I have no doubt if I give it my all and just keep on working everyday hard for that, I will be better and also the team will be too.”
“I was very pleased of course,” Maloney said about Heidenheim finishing in a European qualification spot. “It’s a great thing, not just for me but for the whole club, to be able to play in the first league again for this season and of course qualifying for the Conference league is also a huge step. We’re extremely proud of that but we can’t rely on that anymore. We got to show ourselves now in the upcoming games.”
Heidenheim’s gradual success is similar to that of Maloney’s during his career to date. Maloney, 24, came through the youth ranks at Union Berlin before eventually making his way to third-tier side Chemnitzer in 2019.
Maloney later transferred to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, mainly featuring with Dortmund II in the German third and fourth tiers over parts of two seasons. He made his Bundesliga debut for the…
Author : Larry Henry Jr
Publish date : 2024-08-28 15:21:37
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Author : soccernews
Publish date : 2024-08-28 16:09:56
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.