A product of Shakhtar Donetsk’s academy, Zinchenko joined the ship of Pep Guardiola’s youth revolution last summer, after outperforming well-known stars like Andriy Yarmolenko and Yehven Konoplyanka at the Euros.At 19, he has made himself an omnipotent playmaker in Phillip Cocu’s PSV, effectively controlling games from the wing a la David Silva, perhaps the man he will replace when he returns from loan. He must improve in big games, especially if PSV want to cut the gap on Feyenoord and Ajax and defend their current Eredivisie dynasty. After just one transfer window, Pep Guardiola has stockpiled City with several young attackers like Marlos Moreno and Gabriel Jesus, on top of the likes of Patrick Roberts and Raheem Sterling who were there before. Still, Zinchenko is learning the tactical side of football now, and with astute defensive positioning and a deceptively electric side to his game, the Ukrainian can become the diamond in Guardiola’s pioneering system.
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