Paul Scholes had stated that Oleksandr Zinchenko has had a ‘massive influence’ on Arsenal following their 3-2 win over Manchester United on Sunday at the Emirates.
The Manchester United legend shared how he was ‘surprised’ Manchester City sold Zinchenko to the current Premier League leaders and how Pep Guardiola could do with him now.
Arsenal are five points clear of the current champions of England, with a game in hand, as Zinchenko pulled off another masterstroke of a performance.
Playing at left-back and keeping Kieran Tierney out of the XI, the Ukraine star, who has won four Premier League titles, produced a possible Man of the Match display against Manchester United.
A left-back or a midfielder? Whilst the 26-year-old starts in that deep left flank role, as soon as the game begins, he is cutting into the middle of the park and running the show for his team.
Even Scholes, who was one of the great midfielders of the time, can’t decide what is Zinchenko’s position, but one thing is for sure, he appreciates what he brings to the table, as he told Premier League Productions (22/01/23 at 6:55 pm).
“Zinchenko, great experience, as he said and he is enjoying his football,” said Scholes. “You see how well he is playing.
“I was going to ask him then, ‘is he a left-back or a central midfielder?’ I don’t know. Exactly (he is equally comfortable in both). He is playing it fantastically well and is a big asset to Arsenal.
“I am a bit surprised Man City sold him with the big influence he has had. And Man City have struggled a little at left-back, which is even more surprising.
“Normally they don’t have that big of an influence, do they?! (Left-backs at new clubs). But he has had a massive influence, not just on the pitch, but off the pitch as well.”
TITLE NUMBER FIVE?
Zinchenko was deemed an underrated figure during his time at the Etihad. He wasn’t one of the bigger names of the dressing room, or someone who would play week in and week out, like Rodri or Kevin de Bruyne.
But when it came to those big crunch matches, the £32 million star (Sky Sports) was a key figure for Guardiola.
And now Arsenal are reaping the rewards of his talents because he has been near-on faultless since his summer transfer.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
