diff --git a/malloc/Makefile b/malloc/Makefile
index cc14cf66c9..02aff1bd1d 100644
--- a/malloc/Makefile
+++ b/malloc/Makefile
@@ -250,7 +250,6 @@ others-extras = mcheck-init.o
 aux := set-freeres thread-freeres
 
 # The Perl script to analyze the output of the mtrace functions.
-ifneq ($(PERL),no)
 install-bin-script = mtrace
 generated += mtrace
 
@@ -261,7 +260,6 @@ address-width=10
 else
 address-width=18
 endif
-endif
 
 # Unless we get a test for the availability of libgd which also works
 # for cross-compiling we disable the memusagestat generation in this
@@ -349,7 +347,7 @@ sLIBdir := $(shell echo $(slibdir) | sed 's,lib\(\|64\)$$,\\\\$$LIB,')
 
 $(objpfx)mtrace: mtrace.pl
 	rm -f $@.new
-	sed -e 's|@PERL@|$(PERL)|' -e 's|@XXX@|$(address-width)|' \
+	sed -e 's|@XXX@|$(address-width)|' \
 	    -e 's|@VERSION@|$(version)|' \
 	    -e 's|@PKGVERSION@|$(PKGVERSION)|' \
 	    -e 's|@REPORT_BUGS_TO@|$(REPORT_BUGS_TO)|' $^ > $@.new \
diff --git a/malloc/mtrace.pl b/malloc/mtrace.pl
index 075da0d9f1..dc6085820e 100644
--- a/malloc/mtrace.pl
+++ b/malloc/mtrace.pl
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-#! @PERL@
-eval "exec @PERL@ -S $0 $@"
-    if 0;
+#! /bin/sh
+eval exec "perl -e 'shift; \$progname=shift; shift; require \$progname'" . "$0" . "$@"
+   if 0;
 # Copyright (C) 1997-2024 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
 # This file is part of the GNU C Library.
 # Based on the mtrace.awk script.
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ eval "exec @PERL@ -S $0 $@"
 $VERSION = "@VERSION@";
 $PKGVERSION = "@PKGVERSION@";
 $REPORT_BUGS_TO = '@REPORT_BUGS_TO@';
-$progname = $0;
 
 sub usage {
     print "Usage: mtrace [OPTION]... [Binary] MtraceData\n";