Manchester City star Oleksandr Zinchenko impressed once again for Ukraine last night.
The star was in action for the first time at Euro 2020 against the Netherlands in Amsterdam.
The star ended up on the losing side (3-2), with Denzel Dumfries heading in a later winner for the Dutch.
But he can hold his head high, after putting in a real solid performance – in midfield.
Zinchenko actually operates in central midfield for his country regularly.
It is sometimes forgotten that that is his natural position, given Pep Guardiola’s inclination to use him at left-back.
Against the Netherlands, the 24-year-old was busy, making driving runs whilst also offering impressive defensive support.
He actually made eight tackles according to Sofascore statistics, and completed 42/52 (81%) of his passes.
He also contested an impressive 17 duels, winning 12.
Zinchenko quite often performs well in midfield for his country, and one wonders whether he’s actually being wasted a little featuring at left-back.
He should get more midfield chances
Obviously the standards at City are extremely high.
Guardiola has a plethora of midfield options at his disposal.
But Zinchenko is improving all the time, and it would be fantastic to see him used a bit more in the role he plays for Ukraine at City.
It feels as though he has earned the right, after such a fantastic 2020/21 campaign.
He has always got on with the job, and he clearly has the quality to do play a midfielder role more often for the Citizens.
