Premier League champions Manchester City should consider a move for Dynamo Kiev defender and reported Tottenham Hotspur target Illya Zabarnyi, Ukrainian coach Vyacheslav Hroznyi tells UA Football.
According to the former Arsenal Kiev, Spartak Moscow and Shakhter Karagandy tactician, it is only a matter of time before one of the most exciting young centre-halves coming out of Eastern Europe is snapped up by a continental giant.
Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly admirers already, per Alisdair Gold.
And you can see why Spurs like a 19-year-old with maturity and composure far beyond his tender years. Zabaryni is already an excellent reader of the game, boasting a two-footed flexibility that allows him to thrive on both the right or the left.
But after another commanding performance in Dynamo Kiev’s 2-1 Champions League qualification victory over Fenerbahce last week, Hroznyi believes another English-based giant should be digging out of the microscope and taking a closer look.
Could Man City make a move for Illya Zabarnyi?
“Many Dynamo players proved themselves in Istanbul,” says Hrozyni.
“I am well aware of the potential of Vitaliy Buyalskyi and Vladyslav Dubinchak, with whom I once worked. The same Illya Zabarnyi.
“I think he will not play for Dynamo for more than a year. He’ll be bought by a European giant.
“This defender is fast, well-balanced, technical, and plays well. He doesn’t break the rules much. If I were Pep Guardiola, I would take him to Manchester City.
“Why? Because they only have Ruben Dias, (as) a high-level central defender.”
We’d imagine Aymeric Laporte and John Stones might have something to say about that. Nathan Ake offered a timely reminder of his qualities on Saturday too, even if City found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline against Liverpool in the Community Shield.
But given Guardiola’s track record for turning youngsters into elite-level superstars, you can see why many of a Ukrainian persuasion would be thrilled to see Zabarnyi pull on that light blue shirt at some point or another.
“Zabarnyi is a good player. He is serious about football and has to grow,” says former Ukraine boss Yozhef Sabo.
“(Dynamo Kiev) need to sell him. He will have a completely different mood and motivation (at a big club). In a year or two, Zabarnyi will cost 50 million euros.”
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