Oleksandr Zinchenko’s deadline day signing was a major surprise for all Nottingham Forest fans.
The Ukrainian announced his excitement at joining the club, but perhaps that dwindled down when he was excluded from the Europa League squad this season.
The exclusion of the left-back had Forest fans in disbelief and it is clear why.
Zinchenko provides a lot of experience for the Forest squad, and that experience was on show when he came up against the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.
Ukraine took on France in World Cup qualifying, with the two-time World champions coming out as 2-0 winners. Here is how Nottingham Forest’s latest signing got on according to the Ukrainian press.
How the Ukrainian press rated Oleksandr Zinchenko vs France
Coming up against a nation like France can be difficult for any national team, and Oleksandr Zinchenko had to do so on Friday night.
Ukrainian media publication Football.ua have given their thoughts on Zinchenko’s performance, and they gave him the highest rating for any of the Ukraine players.
The defender was given a 6.5/10, and the publication said, ‘If it had not been an Olise-type on the opposite side, but rather a winger with a direct game on the flank and not in the inside zone, the level of difficulty of Oleksandr’s task would have increased proportionally.’
‘As it was, he actually encountered Doué more in the first half, and the Frenchman was eventually substituted after the break, it was not least because of Zinchenko’s resistance.’
‘And our player could have assisted Dovbyk as well, if not for Konaté on the goal line.’
It appears Zinchenko was in and amongst the action, and could have picked up an assist against the World Cup finalists.
It brings good news for Nuno Espirito Santo with the left-back showcasing that he can perform against extremely tough opposition.
Oleksandr Zinchenko’s performance in numbers vs France
Oleksandr Zinchenko certainly had a tough evening ahead of him.
Champions League man of the match winner Désiré Doué was pitted up against him, and later on Ballon d’Or contender Ousmane Dembele would be put on his side.
Zinchenko took on the challenge extremely well, and the two French wingers had a tough time on the day.
The Ukrainian won four tackles (80% success), and won six ground duels (75%), while also making two interceptions, one block, and one recovery.
On the opposing team, Dembele and Doué attempted six dribbles between the two, but only one of those was successful.
Ukraine may have lost on the day, but Oleksandr Zinchenko certainly did his role of keeping the right-sided attackers quiet.
It brings about another Nottingham Forest player who has been impressing while on international duty.
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