After being sent on loan from West Ham, ex-Toronto FC defender Doneil Henry debuts for Blackburn

Doneil Henry in Blackburn Rovers gear

Doneil Henry made his first-team debut in England on Wednesday – but not where you might have expected.


Henry played the full 90 minutes for Blackburn Rovers in their Championship league match against Sheffield Wednesday, just hours after Rovers picked him up on a month-long loan. By all accounts, the big defender put in a solid performance in the match, a 2-1 win for Rovers.


Henry signed with West Ham United in the January transfer window, and has made several appearances with the Hammers’ Under-21 side.



The 21-year-old from Brampton, Ontario – who became the first member of the Toronto FC Academy to sign with the first team, back in 2010 – has earned 14 caps with Canada’s senior national team.


As noted by the BBC, Henry is eligible to play for Blackburn in Saturday’s FA Cup quarterfinal against Liverpool.


Interestingly, if Henry were to feature in that match, he would become the third Canadian national team member to play against Liverpool this season, following Milan Borjan (UEFA Champions League) and Atiba Hutchinson (Europa League).