A country completely torn apart by conflict, Ukraine’s senior men’s national team visited Hampden Park at the start of June to try and reach the final qualification round for the World Cup. Prior to the game, it had been reported that Arsenal were considering a move for Oleksandr Zinchenko, which gave plenty of Gunners supporters a reason to watch the match. However, it would be a substitute who would catch the eye of fans and the club come the final 23 minutes of the game.
Mykhaylo Mudryk started on the bench for Ukraine ahead of his senior international debut with 25-year-old Viktor Tsygankov the starting left winger at the time. Fast forward just three months and the Dynamo Kyiv forward is now grappling with his Shakhtar Donetsk counterpart to keep his spot in the side, one of the key reasons for Arsenal's lengthy interest.
Ukraine had an excellent game and Oleksandr Zinchenko would be awarded the man of the match for a controlled and influential midfield performance that was capped off with an assist for Artem Dovbyk in minute 95. Yet the man who’d go on to sign for Arsenal that summer would drift out of focus after the 72 minutes as this 21-year-old talent replaced Tsygankov.
