Christian played two matches as part of the Ukrainian team
Head coach Ukrainian national team U-19 Dmitry Mikhailenko commented on the team’s output on European Youth Championship 2024. The coach spoke separately about the debut of Christian Shevchenko, the son of UAF head Andrei Shevchenko, in the team.
“First of all, speaking about Christian Shevchenko, I would note that this player has good physical abilities. He is fast, explosive even at times. He also has individual skill. He has potential. This is a fact. He didn’t play much in the qualifying tournament, but there are a number of objective reasons for this.”
“First of all, we should talk about adaptation. There is no way to live without communication in football, and he came to a new team where his communication with his teammates was at a minimum level. Most of our guys don’t speak English very well, and Christian speaks Ukrainian or Russian, respectively.”
“Christian came on as a substitute twice in the games against North Macedonia and Latvia. There would have been time in the match with Switzerland, but he had a minor injury, micro-damage, so I didn’t let him out. Actually, he did not fully prepare for the match with the Swiss.”
“The attitude towards Christian in the team is the same as towards the rest of the guys. Rather, it is he – Christian Shevchenko – who may be under pressure in the national team, because he is the son of a legend and this somehow influences him. We, the coaches working with Andrei Shevchenko’s son, do not feel any pressure.”
“I’ll tell you honestly, he’s a really talented guy. He has the Chelsea Academy behind him and now plays in England for a decent club – Watford. “I form the national team solely on sporting principles, and not on last names and family ties.”
“Ten days later, that Christian Shevchenko was in the camp of the Ukrainian national team, he already became one of his own. By the end, he was laughing with the guys, and they were joking among themselves. And in the beginning it was extremely difficult for him, yes. No conversation, no normal communication… The most important thing is that he went through this adaptation successfully.”
Let us remind you that Christian Shevchenko made his debut for the Ukrainian U-19 national team in the first match of the elite round of qualifying for the Youth Euro 2024 against North Macedonia (2:0), coming on as a substitute in the second half. The young forward also came on at the end of the victorious match against Latvia (3:0).
The Ukrainian team won group 7 of the qualification, gaining the maximum nine points. Let us remind you that in the first round, Dmitry Mikhailenko’s team defeated North Macedonia (2:0), defeated Latvia (3:0) and beat Switzerland (2:0).
Euro 2024 U-19 will take place in Northern Ireland from 15 to 28 July 2024. The continental championship will simultaneously serve as a UEFA selection for the 2025 World Cup (U-20). The draw for the final part of the tournament will take place on April 17 in Belfast.
Source: Sportarena
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