Ukraine national team head coach Andrea Maldera explained why Kyiv "Dynamo" captain Andriy Yarmolenko was not called up for the Nations League matches against Northern Ireland and Georgia, noting that Yarmolenko needs to pass the baton to others. Maldera said this during a briefing, reports UNN.
Yarmolenko is a very important person both for me and for the entire national team. But the time has come for these guys to grow on their own. Yarmolenko needs to pass the baton to others; I spoke with him, and he understood my words. I know that I can always count on him
Maldera also explained the constant rotations in the team’s lineup.
We are building a new team. Some substitutions were forced, especially in the last two matches: injuries and suspensions. But it was a good opportunity to assess the players. Of course, now we need to narrow down the group of players
Additional information
The UAF, in the style of GTA VI, announced a list of 25 players for the upcoming two Nations League matches against Georgia and Northern Ireland, with Andriy Yarmolenko of "Dynamo" not included, although the Kyiv winger had been called up for the team’s last two camps.
However, it became known the day before that changes had taken place in the Ukraine national team squad. Oleksandr Zubkov withdrew due to an injury sustained in his latest match for "AEK". Mykola Shaparenko and Vladyslav Vanat were called up additionally.
It should be recalled
Kyiv "Dynamo" winger Andriy Yarmolenko scored his 125th goal in the Ukrainian championships in the match against "Kryvbas", breaking the long-standing record of Maksym Shatskikh (124 goals) and moving to the top of the list of the best scorers in the history of the Ukrainian top flight.