Manchester City should offload Oleksandr Zinchenko in January

According to Manchester Evening News, Manchester City’s out-of-favour left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko will be open to a move in January and his agent has already held discussions with Serie A club Napoli.

Zinchenko played for Shakhtar Donetsk at the youth level before joining Russian outfit FC Ufa in 2015. In Russia, he earned praises for his consistent performances and versatility and the Cityzens snapped him up for a small amount in 2016. The 21-year-old spent time on loan at PSV Eindhoven last season.

However, things haven’t changed much for Zinchenko. Benjamin Mendy’s injury opened the door for him to get regular action but Pep Guardiola preferred Fabian Delph over him. After Delph was sidelined due to an injury, Zinchenko got his opportunity against Brighton in the Premier League.

He also started in City’s 3-0 win over Oxford United in the League Cup but was benched for the Champions League tie against Hoffenheim. That decision came as a surprise because Delph and Mendy were still unfit and Zinchenko had done well in the previous game.

Despite having the Ukrainian on the bench, Guardiola fielded Aymeric Laporte as the makeshift left-back.

Quite clearly, the manager hasn’t shown trust in the player’s ability. He is one of the most versatile young talents in the Premier League since the 21-year-old exhibits the rare versatility of being able to play as an attacking midfielder, a central midfielder and a full-back.

Such versatility is difficult to come by and City should have given him more opportunities. As a matter of fact, he has started more times for his country than he has done for Manchester City.

With the quality of players in the reserves, losing Zinchenko would hardly bother Guardiola. On the other hand, a move to the Serie A wouldn’t be a bad idea for Zinchenko as he is likely to get regular minutes to enhance his development. The 21-year-old is still in the developmental phase of his career and warming the benches will not help his cause.

Standing at 5 ft 9 inches, Zinchenko has the perfect height for an attacking midfielder to keep good close control. He is capable of drifting to the side and playing dangerous crosses into the penalty area. Furthermore, he is a good reader of the game which allows him to make strong tackles and subtle interceptions – a skill that is quite unusual for an attacking midfielder.

However, there seems to be no possible way for Guardiola to accommodate him in attacking midfield. With the likes of Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, David Silva and Fernandinho, there is stiff competition for places and there is no way Zinchenko can break into the first-team picture. Also, the Cityzens have high-quality full-backs and the manager is more likely to play specialist defenders than experiment with versatile makeshift players.

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Sooner or later, Zinchenko must seek greener pastures to play on a regular basis. It will be better for him to either permanently settle at a different club or play on loan at random clubs. That said, a move away from the Etihad should be ideal for all parties involved.