OLEKSANDR ZINCHENKO admits he felt “ashamed” after being dropped by Mikel Arteta last term and described it as his “worst season” as a professional.
The Arsenal left-back made just 15 Prem appearances in the 2024/25 campaign, with just FIVE starts, as he fell out of favour following the emergence of teenage sensation Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Instagram @zinchenkoOleksandr Zinchenko admitted to feeling ‘ashamed’ after being dropped from Arsenal’s XI[/caption]
Instagram @zinchenkoZinchenko shared a story about his daughters looking for him on the pitch – only to realise he was a substitute[/caption]
InstagramZinchenko has two daughters with his sports reporter wife Vlada[/caption]
ReutersThe Ukrainian made just 15 league starts last term[/caption]
As a result, the 28-year-old has been linked with a move away this summer, with Borussia Dortmund reportedly interested in snapping up the Ukrainian, who has one year left on his Arsenal deal after joining from Manchester City in July 2022 for around £30m.
Zinchenko is desperate to fight for his place in North London, but in an updated chapter of his autobiography ‘Believe’, he reveals the mental toll last season took on him and his family.
During a game at the Emirates last term, his wife Vlada took his two young daughters to a match, and Zinchenko explained: “Eva, the older one at three-and-a-half, says to Leia, ‘Look, there’s Daddy’.
“Leia looks all over the pitch but can’t find me. And then Eva points and says, ‘No, he’s not playing. He’s on the bench’.
“Hearing that pained me a lot. It made me feel ashamed.
“I’m quite grateful that the girls are not yet at an age where they’re exposed to social media and don’t have to read nasty stuff about their dad who can’t get into the Arsenal team anymore.
“I was basically out of the starting XI altogether, bar a few isolated matches.
“In pure personal terms, it was easily the worst season I ever experienced as a professional.
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“A player who doesn’t play is nothing. It’s one thing when your body lets you down. That can happen.
“But going from one of the established players of the side to an unused sub is much harder to deal with.
“The sense of rejection you feel if your manager no longer believes in you can take the stuffing out of you, even if you’re the most resilient guy on the planet.
“Sitting on the bench in the Premier League for a very generous wage packet is obviously still a privilege, the kind of problem that billions of people on this planet would swap their much tougher lives for in a heartbeat.
“Trust me, as a Ukrainian, I’m aware of that. Every single minute.
“But every footballer started playing because they love to play the game. A big part of your life is missing without it.
“Imagine this little boy who’s dedicated his entire existence to becoming good at one particular thing and then finds at 28 that he’s essentially no longer needed, that there are others who can do the job for him. It’s not a nice feeling.
“[Vlada] doesn’t want to show that she’s affected, for fear of upsetting me even more. But every once in a while, the mask slips.”
A player who doesn’t play is nothing
– Oleksandr Zinchenko
GettyZinchenko believes he ‘didn’t do enough’ and ‘didn’t play well enough’ to keep his spot in the side[/caption]
Instagram / @v.lada_sedanZinchenko said Vlada does not show it has impacted her to avoid upsetting him[/caption]
Zinchenko’s outspoken partner once slammed Pep Guardiola’s tactics after City exited the 2021 Champions League.
He continued: “I can only blame myself. If I don’t play, it means that I didn’t work hard enough, didn’t do enough, didn’t play well enough.
“Let’s see what time will bring. Because I still want to play football. I want to enjoy the game and come back with a smile on my face in the evening.”
After suffering from injury issues with a troublesome calf in previous seasons, Zinchenko started a new regime that had him fit and ready to hit the ground running last term.
He added: “Unlike the year before, injuries were not to blame. A small problem with my calf kept me out of action in the month of September. A knock here and there.
“But I was otherwise fit for most of the campaign.”
Lewis-Skelly’s rapid rise – only making his senior debut in September – saw Zinchenko stuck to the bench, and the 18-year-old England international looks set to keep his place for the new campaign, which kicks off on Sunday at Old Trafford against Manchester United.
The future looks bright for the Hale End kid, who signed a new long-term deal back in June.
Zinchenko said: “[Lewis-Skelly] came in and made the left-back position his. He’s a special talent. Such a good player. What he’s done is unbelievable, really.
“And I told him, ‘You’ve got everything. With your ability, you will be at the top level for the next 10 years or even more, you will be one of the best players in the world, not just in the club but also in the national team’.
“I’ve heard stories of older players ganging up on youngsters to defend their territory, the sort of stuff you see in animal documentaries.
“I will never, ever undermine a team-mate of mine. That’s not me.
“Yes, he plays in the same position as me. But I still need to acknowledge his talent, applaud him and help him, if only in a little way, to achieve his potential.
“He pushes me to become a better version of myself and to improve further. These are the demands at this level. If someone’s better than you, you will be dropped. There’s no option but to keep your head straight and to look forward.”
If I don’t play, it means that I didn’t work hard enough, didn’t do enough, didn’t play well enough
– Oleksandr Zinchenko
Despite links away, Arteta is understood to want Zinchenko to stay at Arsenal, primarily for his leadership skills in the dressing room, as well as adding depth and versatility to his defensive options.
Zinchenko continued: “I’m a professional and it’s my job to get on with it. At Arsenal, we don’t have many egos, everyone understands their role, their duties and responsibilities.
“I’m not the guy that comes in, shows a bad face and spreads bad vibes, I still try to lighten the mood with a few jokes and make people smile. I tried my very best to stay positive inside.
“I did everything asked of me and was happy to play in any position for the subs’ XI who stand in for the next opponents in training.
“Maybe some players might react differently, they might feel slighted having to pretend they’re centre-backs when they’re wingers, or the other way around.
“But not me. It doesn’t bother me at all. I see it as an opportunity to learn and to show that I will do whatever is necessary to play my part.”
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