Man City's Zinchenko ready to play despite impact of invasion, West Ham gives Yarmolenko time off
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says his Ukrainian international defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has been affected by the Russian invasion of his homeland but remains ready to play if called upon.
Published : Feb 25, 2022 20:00 IST
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says his Ukrainian international defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has been affected by the Russian invasion of his homeland but remains ready to play if called upon.
Zinchenko attended a vigil in the centre of Manchester on Thursday to protest against the invasion and Guardiola expressed support for his player.
"What would you do if someone abroad attacked the UK? It's how he feels," Guardiola said when asked at a news conference about Zinchenko's involvement in the protest.
"It's a worry, what we feel with our country where we were born. Killing innocent people, how would you feel? I guess that's how he feels.
"Of course it's close to him. Of course he has our support. It happen(ed) in the country he was born, he loves, it's attacked from outside. He's tough and knows we are here," added the Spaniard.
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Guardiola said he and City players had discussed the situation with the 25-year-old wing back ahead of Saturday's Premier League game at Everton.
"We spoke (about) all of this, I spoke with him. Everyone, the friends. These are the headlines all around the world, it's a concern," he said.
"Oleks is incredibly strong, a really brilliant guy. Of course it's not easy but today and yesterday in training he was brilliant. He's ready to play incase he has to play."
Guardiola said that Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus and England midfielder Jack Grealish were both fit again and available for the trip to Goodison Park.
West Ham gives Yarmolenko "some time off"
Elsewhere, West Ham United manager David Moyes said the club had given Ukraine forward Andriy Yarmolenko some time off for his well-being.
"He's not in a really good place at the moment so we've given him a few days off," Moyes told a news conference ahead of Sunday's home game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
"We'll certainly help him. It's a really difficult time for him and his family and we respect that. I spoke with him on Thursday and he was upset and rightly so. We hope everything goes well and all his family members keep safe.
"We're all saddened by it. We've just come out of the pandemic and the last thing we want is anything close to a world war."