There are not many Manchester City fans who would have said in the Summer that Zinchenko would have developed into being one of their favourite players.
In a Manchester City side packed full of expensive and glamourous superstars one young player has slowly carved his way into the affections of the City fans – Oleks Zinchenko. He was signed from Ufa in the Ukraine on July 4 2016 for a fee of £1.8 million and immediately loaned to PSV Eindhoven where he failed to cement any regular game time. Returning to City in the summer of 2017 he was given a chance in the first team by Guardiola and since then has worked hard to take his chance.
In a game where young talents seem to chase immediate fortunes, Oleks has taken a different path. His willingness to put the team first has seen his general good humour and attitude bolster a group of players. He has been happy to play, even out of position as Guardiola sought to develop him into a emergency left back following the injury to Benjamin Mendy. His enthusiasm and effort has clearly come through to the fans who have continually given him encouragement.
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Last summer as Mendy returned to full fitness it became apparent his game time may be reduced and accordingly other clubs began to show an interest in him. Wolves reportedly made a bid of £16 million which Manchester City accepted but Zinchenko turned down. He believed in his own ability and effort and figured he would develop his career better by staying.
This has turned into an excellent decision as following further injury to Mendy there have been further opportunities for him to play. As a young player learning a new role there have been moments where he has made mistakes in matches, but he has clearly learnt from this and tried to eradicate these from his game. His passing is excellent and his willingness to come inside from full back adds dimension to our play. He is currently our first choice left back having displaced Fabian Delph.
Everyone loves a trier and Zinchenko is clearly not afraid to put in the hard yards. His current contract at City expires on 30 June 2020 and I would love to see him get a chance to earn a new contract. There continues to be much talk about City looking to add a new left back next summer but if Zinchenko continues to develop and improve at the current rate – maybe we already have the solution in our ranks.