Gary Neville has expressed bemusement on his podcast as to why Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City sold Oleksandr Zinchenko to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in the summer of 2022.
The Sky Sports pundit made the comments about Arsenal and Zinchenko after Manchester City’s defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League at the weekend.
The former Manchester United defender has said that Ukraine international Zinchenko is probably the best player in the left-back role who can also move into midfield.
And Neville believes that if Guardiola wanted to play a player like that at left-back, then he should not have sold Zinchenko to Arsenal for £30 million (Sky Sports) in the summer of 2022.
Gary Neville on Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko
Neville said: “That was a strange thing. If you want a left-back to play in central midfield and play that dual position, he is probably the best one you could find. So it seems strange more and more that Zinchenko has been let go.”
Manchester City’s loss is Arsenal’s gain
Manchester City may have felt that they did not need Oleksandr Zinchenko, but the Ukraine international has been superb for Arsenal so far this season.
The 26-year-old has made the Gunners a better and more intricate team.
Now, while Kieran Tierney is a very good left-back, the Scotland international really does not possess the ability of Zinchenko to move into midfield during games.
Tierney is more of a ‘traditional’ left-back.
Having the option of Zinchenko in the squad has allowed Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to be flexible in his approach.
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