Oleksandr Zinchenko has named a number of Arsenal stars as players he enjoyed watching grow up as a Gunners fan, as well as Tony Adams clips from before his time.
Oleksandr Zinchenko is loving his time at Arsenal since his summer switch (Getty Images)
Zinchenko joined the club he supported as a boy in the summer, making the move south from Manchester City and becoming a part of the incredible improvement under Mikel Arteta.
The Ukrainian’s season has been hampered by injury so far, only making 10 appearances in all competitions so far, but with the Gunners top of the Premier League table, all is going well at the club.
The summer arrival has been enjoying getting the chance to meet some of his heroes since moving to the Emirates, and although Adams’ pomp was before the 26-year-old’s time, he has heard a lot about him Ukraine legend Andrey Shevchenko.
Tony Adams is an iconic figure at Arsenal
‘I asked club photographer Stuart MacFarlane if he would introduce me to Tony and also take a picture. He is absolutely a legend,’ Zinchenko told Arsenal’s official website.
‘I’ve seen clips of him playing on the internet, I know about his reputation, but also I remember the words of my ex-national team coach, Andrey Shevchenko. He used to always say to me that Tony Adams was the toughest defender he ever faced in his career.
‘I told Tony that when we met. He was laughing, he’s a great guy, Tony is a joker – but what a player he was. Thank God I didn’t have to play against him in my career!’
Zinchenko took his chance to grab a photo with Adams (Picture: Getty Images)
Of the players he watched more himself growing up, Zinchenko hailed Thierry Henry, Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas and Dennis Bergkamp as icons in former Arsenal sides.
‘I always watched Arsenal. People know I was an Arsenal supporter when I was a kid,’ he said. ‘That was because I loved watching players like Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas and Dennis Bergkamp too.
‘I watched him but mainly I was watching a bit later, when Robin van Persie was up front with Henry. Cesc was there too and it was a fantastic team.’
source: https://metro.co.uk/
