The Ukrainian international struggled to produce his best performance against Luton Town on Thursday night. A number of players like Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Gabriel Jesus, Jakub Kiwior and Jorginho missed the game this midweek.
Some of the players in the Arsenal squad haven’t got the minutes they expected this season, so a handful of them got the opportunity to impress against Luton Town at home.
One such player is Oleksandr Zinchenko who has fallen down the pecking order, behind Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu in recent weeks. His last appearance in the first-team squad was back in February.
The former Man City defender lost the ball in dangerous positions in a couple of instances but managed to win every single duel last night. It is definitely tough for a player to come into the team after a long break and find his rhythm with the squad.
But Declan Rice was impressed with the full-back’s display and commented on Zinchenko’s Instagram post, giving a new nickname “Mr composure.”
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Oleksandr Zinchenko would fight for Ukraine if called up
Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko said he would put his professional career on hold and fight for his country if called upon. The 27-year-old defender donated £1 million ($1.25 million) to help people in his country since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law that will lower the military mobilization age from 27 to 25. This would allow the nation to call up more people to replenish its reserves as Zelensky declared in December that Ukraine would need more than 500,000 soldiers to be mobilized.
The defender stated that he is prepared to serve his country in the war if needed.
“I think it’s a clear answer. I would go (to fight)”, Zinchenko said.
“It’s tough to understand that just recently we’ve been in the same school, we were playing in the playground or on the football pitch, and now they have to defend our country,” he said.
“And, honestly, (it’s) so hard to accept this, but it is what it is. We cannot give up.”