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Arsenal: Scott Minto heaps praise on Oleksandr Zinchenko

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Image for Arsenal: Scott Minto heaps praise on Oleksandr Zinchenko

Football presenter Scott Minto has shared his praise and admiration for Arsenal left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko. 

The north London club signed the 26-year-old during the previous summer transfer window from Manchester City in a deal worth a reported fee of £32m.

Despite previously sharing his heartbreak over the current conflict in his home country, the player has been a pivotal figure for the Gunners this season, starting 19 of the 20 Premier League games he’s appeared in.

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With Arsenal now five points clear at the top of the table with 11 games left to play, the Ukrainian has been the subject of heavy praise for his ability and mentality.

Speaking on TalkSport, Minto had this to say about Zinchenko and his efforts on and off the pitch since joining Arsenal.

He said: “Zinchenko, you have to say, I think has been nothing short of sensational, because whenever I hear him talk as well, you can’t even begin to fathom what’s going on in his head with what’s going on with his homeland, so even more credit to the guy. But even if you put that to one side – which you can’t – the guy’s a winner.

“He wasn’t a regular under Pep Guardiola, but you can see he’s brought that winning mentality along with Gabriel Jesus as well, but even more so, for me, I think Zinchenko as the leader, I really do.

“In day-to-day training that we don’t see behind closed doors – we only see on a matchday, whether it be on a Saturday or a midweek game, Europa League or whatever – the ability, but also the mentality that he shows to his teammates and the way that he trains, I think he’s been absolutely superb.”

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Across his 20 league appearances, Zinchenko has racked up the third-highest number of progressive passes (178) and carries into the final third of the pitch (49) at Arsenal as well as having a higher percentage of aerial duels won (72.9%)  than any other outfield player at the club.

In terms of his mentality, Arteta highlighted this as one of the defender’s assets when he arrived at the club, as well as his experience of lifting trophies after winning four Premier League titles during his time at City.

With all of that in mind, it’s safe to say that the £150k-per-week left-back has been a top signing for Arsenal and is very much deserving of the praise Minto has shared for him.

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