The 24-year-old’s reliability has shone through whenever he’s been called upon, locking horns with some of the world’s most potent attacking threats when deployed on the left of defence.
More recently, Zinchenko played a crucial role in our 2-0 second leg triumph over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-finals and put in a similarly impressive shift away to Borussia Dortmund in the previous round.
For Guardiola, the Ukrainian’s dependable nature on the biggest stage comes as no surprise, given the qualities that he displays on a regular basis both on and off the field.
“Oleks fought a lot to be here, a transfer was possible and he said ‘no I want to be here’. That means a lot,” Guardiola declared in his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Chelsea.
“Second, he’s a guy who played in another position and never complains, and third he doesn’t make mistakes.
“When you say something, he reads it immediately. He is always focuses, always concentrated.
“As a left-back he fights against (Mohamed) Salah, (Marcus) Rashford, (Angel) Di Maria, the toughest opponents and he doesn’t make mistakes.
“The quality with the ball is exceptional, we know it, but in a defensive back four the most important thing is don’t do mistakes.
“When he played in Dortmund, in the last game, always this season he’s stable in that. That is why he deserves to play.”
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CITY V CHELSEA
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Live text updates in our Matchday Centre will begin at 15:30.
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