Jose Mourinho: Andriy Yarmolenko is a king for Ukraine
Jose Mourinho has highlighted the importance West Ham attacker Andriy Yarmolenko has on his national side.
The 31-year-old may not have enjoyed the best of times for his club, but he’s been one of Ukraine’s best players of all time.
He has already equalled Shevchenko’s record of most goal involvements (5) by a Ukrainian player at a major tournament and could go past it against England later today.
Discussing his influence for Ukraine, Mourinho told talkSPORT, “You have players who are not the most important players at their clubs, they become fundamental for their countries. With Yarmolenko it is this feeling.
“He is not always playing [for West Ham] and goes to the national team and he is the king. He goes to the national team and has a certain status that gives him not just confidence but responsibility.
“Coaches like Shevchenko know these players are fundamental for them, it doesn’t matter what they do for the club or how well they do in the season, these are the players who are fundamental for the country.
“These guys know how important they are for their country, they want to arrive in the best condition for these competitions. The atmosphere attracts players to behave and have these contributions.”
Spot on
Yarmolenko may be injured a lot, but when he’s on the pitch, one can see him put the extra effort and desire into everything he does which has elevated him to cult hero status for the national team.
Shevchenko, who’s widely regarded as the greatest Ukrainian attacking player of all time has 48 goals to his name while Yarmolenko is only six behind him, having played 13 games fewer.
Should he be around the international scene until Qatar 2022, there’s a very good chance that he’ll have surpassed the former Chelsea striker.
He might not be the same animal for his club, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be happy and enjoy him thriving on such a large international stage.
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