Manchester City sign Ukrainian starlet Zinchenko: Who is he, how good is he, and where will he play?
Updated 04/07/2016 at 12:45 GMT
Ukraine international Oleksandr Zinchenko has signed for Manchester City.
The 19-year-old, who started his career at Shakhtar Donetsk, joins City from Russian Premier League side Ufa, where he has made 33 appearances over the past two seasons.
Despite only being on the fringes for his Russian club side, he has become an established member of the Ukraine national team and earned three caps in his country's ill-fated campaign at Euro 2016, which saw them lose all three games.
One of those caps came from the start against Poland in Ukraine's final match, a dead rubber, with Zinchenko playing in the number 10 role.
But while the tournament went badly, Zinchenko's future is expect to be bright - as our expert analysts explain.
RUSSIAN VIEW
Kirill Vorobyev, Eurosport.ru, gives the lowdown on City's new signing:
"His preferred position is as a central attacking midfielder, but he is technically strong and fast enough to play as a left- or right-sided attacking midfielder.
"Will he contend for a starting spot with City? No, at least not this season. He was a key player for FC Ufa last season, but they're a club from the bottom quarter of the Russian Premier League: they finished 12th place of 16 last season.
"He is not actually one of the best attacking midfielders in Russian Premier League. But he is really good for his age – I think that he can become one of the stars of the Ukrainian national team in the next few years alongside the likes of Yevhen Konoplyanka and Andriy Yarmolenko.
"My prediction is that he will be loaned out in January or perhaps next summer. But I think that Pep Guardiola might use him in some matches: the Spaniard likes having young players in the squad. Maybe he will be the part of a rotation."
NICK AMES'S ANALYSIS
Ahead of Euro 2016, Nick Ames featured Zinchenko as a potential breakthrough star of the tournament:
"When Zinchenko ran clear to confidently convert Ukraine’s second goal in the 4-3 win over Romania in May – in only his second appearance for the senior team – he became their youngest goalscorer and hopes are high that he can emulate the impact of the man whose record he broke, Andriy Shevchenko.
"Zinchenko is technically excellent, has good speed across the ground and has an accurate left foot that poses a threat from set-pieces. His versatility – he can play in advanced positions centrally or on the wings – could be attractive to Ukraine and so could his freshness in a midfield that lacks verve."
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