Pep Guardiola admits Oleksandr Zinchenko is loved by everyone at Manchester City

Oleksandr Zinchenko is loved by everyone at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola has revealed ahead of Wednesday night’s clash at the Emirates.

The Ukrainian defender will come against his former employers for the second time since leaving the Etihad Stadium this week, following his homecoming to the east of Manchester last month.

Zinchenko and his teammates fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat in the fourth round of the FA Cup courtesy of a single goal from Nathan Ake, as Manchester City took the opportunity to welcome back a much-loved favourite among players and fans alike.

This week sees the two Premier League title challengers go head-to-head for the first time this season, as City eye top spot through the aim of securing all three points in North London on Wednesday night.

Speaking on the subject of Oleksandr Zinchenko – a player that Pep Guardiola is often credited for being behind his transformation into a left-back – the City boss has been full of praise for the defender, and admitted that he is loved by the entire Sky Blue organisation.

“I think everybody is in love (with him) here (at Manchester City),” Pep Guardiola opened. “Honestly, he was an important figure in our club.”

“What I like the most about Alex is the fact that in the first years, we maybe wanted to move him from here because we thought that he wasn’t going to play much. And he said, ‘No, no, no, I want to fight for my position!’ I said, ‘Alex, it’s difficult, I have many players in your position – number 10 or…’ He said, ‘No, no, no, I’m going to play here.’”

Guardiola continued, “He trained really well, never had a bad face, aspiring when he plays, always had good behaviour. Normally when you don’t play, you don’t say you’re going to play and say, ‘Ah I don’t want to do it’. He was completely the opposite, seeing him in the gym working extra-time.”

“Sometimes there are circumstances in life, a lot of injuries in one position, we decide for the way we play that the full-back – one of them – or sometimes the central defender can play extra-time. And he took the opportunity like his last chance in the world. That means he’s a good football player and has a good mindset.”

But given the love for the player, and his importance on the field and within the Manchester City dressing room, the question remains as to why exactly the Premier League champions let the Ukraine international leave the club last summer with such ease – especially to a direct rival for the English top-flight crown.

“In the end, what happened, my reason, I think Mikel (Arteta) knows him pretty well because he worked with him, we worked together, and he believed he needed this piece to try to make the process, especially the build-up, a little bit better,” explained Guardiola.

Manchester City take on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night, as the visitors could take advantage of consecutive matches where points have been dropped by Mikel Arteta’s players by going top of the table with a victory.

City have a hectic fixture schedule on the horizon, as they travel to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, before taking on RB Leipzig in the Champions League last-16 first-leg next week – with Pep Guardiola’s side embarking on five consecutive away matches across all competitions starting this week.