Manchester City fans have been reacting to a post on Twitter which relays a report that claims the club will have to convince Oleksandr Zinchenko he will play more regularly if they are to fend off interest from Arsenal.
Zinchenko has done everything in his power to stay at the Etihad and fight for his place at the club in the past, but it seems now the time has come where the Ukrainian may seek pastures new in search for regular time on the pitch.
Reports have suggested that Arteta is interested in bringing the Ukrainian international to the Emirates Stadium due to his versatility, given the player’s ability to play in midfield and at full-back.
According to Manchester Evening News, City will have to convince Zinchenko he will play more regularly next season if they are to fend off interest from Arsenal.
The 25-year-old played just 1047 minutes in the Premier League last term, with Portuguese international Joao Cancelo preferred at left-back.
The aforementioned report claims that Arteta is indeed a huge admirer of the former Shakhtar Donetsk man, who is keen to play on a more regular basis – an opportunity he would be afforded if he was to complete a move to the north Londoners.
The Citizens are also not looking to sell Zinchenko, but manager Pep Guardiola is said to not want to stand in the way of players wishing to leave the Etihad. Despite the player’s affection for Man City, he would also like to play more regularly.
The report was shared on Twitter by City Xtra and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters.
“I also agree a guy of his quality shouldn’t be sitting on the bench. Zinchencko is a player that I rate for his simplicity and effective football; and one of the major reasons we got to the UCL final last season and won the EPL title this season. His case is quite complicated.”
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“Need to sign 2 LBs then.”
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“To start is easy, but ‘guarantee’ is a different matter together. Most likely, he will face Cancelo and Cucurella, which will be complicated. But I hope he will think about it more and stay, as only having one LB is bad considering there will be WC this season.”
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“If it not for this guy we wouldnt win the Premier League. How are we letting him go?”
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“He’ll get more game time for sure. This season because of his personal situations he wasn’t able to contribute. Next season he will be important. Our fullbacks will almost 100% get injured at some time just because of what pep demands. Having someone like Zinchenko is a must then.”
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“Besides those games when the Ukraine stuff had just began, there were a lot of times when Walker/Cancelo easily could have been rested for him so it’s understandable.”
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“Would prefer he’d stay, but if its footballing reasons, I would understand if he wanted to push for a move. He definitely could play consistently for a lot of other clubs. Just hard to break in and keep your place at City.”
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“If his performances warrant it, of course he’ll start. We’re not just going to offer him more games for sentimental reasons. City is one of the best teams in the world, anyone starting has to be the absolute best in his position”
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“To be fair, Zinny deserves more game time. Since we are even on Cucurella rn, it will be better for him to find somewhere else.”
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“It’s such a complex situation. Cucu is brilliant and he’d start ahead of him, and his signing is needed. But Zinchenko fits the system perfectly, has been top for years and is really good in big games. But he deserves more game time and would fit the Arteta system .”
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