Mikel Arteta urged to move Zinchenko into midfield
Bildbyran

Oleksandr Zinchenko has been a crucial signing so far for Arsenal.

The 25-year-old defender joined from Manchester City in a £32 million deal last year and has played a massive role for the Gunners last season.

He is the only defender in the squad who can invert from the left-back to play in the centre of the midfield.

His technical ability helps the attacking players to attack confidently and move further up the line.

The one question mark about the Ukrainian is his defensive vulnerabilities and has been caught on occasion several times at the back.

Ex-Gunners Adrian Clarke believes Arteta should consider deploying him in the central midfield position more regularly.

He said: “In those situations where Mikel [Arteta] doesn’t feel that [Oleksandr] Zinchenko is offering enough defensively, rather than taking him off, I’d rather put him into that left-sided number eight role and keep him on.

“He’s got that progressive pass in him; he’s an unlocker of defences.

“Rather than always take him off when he’s struggling defensively, could we then use him just in a further forward position as that left-sided number eight?

“The bottom line is he’s the one that’s more likely to play that killer pass in the final 15, 20 minutes of a game than anyone else.

“It’s just an idea to throw out there.”

 

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