West Ham winger Andriy Yarmolenko still feuding with Taras Stepanenko
West Ham may have missed out on Champions League qualification last season but that hasn’t stopped their players from getting mentioned on Tuesday nights.
Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk played host to Inter Milan in Europe’s premier club competition earlier this week [28/09/21] and BT Sport commentator Dave Farrar took the time to reference the hostility between two international stars.
“Here’s Taras Stepanenko, he had that long-running feud with Andriy Yarmolenko after Yarmolenko’s challenge six years ago now,” Farrar said.
“But it is still something that drives an enormous wedge between them, there’s a lot of enmity in that whole situation.”
Yarmolenko and Stepanenko were teammates at the recent European Championship as Ukraine progressed to the quarter-final before they were thumped 4-0 by England.
Less controversial for club
Yarmolenko is a huge figure in Ukrainian football, and he has created an almost god-like status in his home country, with a reputation carved out as a big personality.
However, he appears more reserved in England where his talents are not quite as obvious as they are for his nation.
The 31-year-old appears to save his best form for international tournaments while he is restricted to fleeting appearances under David Moyes at West Ham.
While his role in this Irons side may frustrate most seasoned internationals, from the outside it looks like Yarmolenko has accepted his role and is happy to play the role of deputy.
Certainly, one cannot imagine Moyes would entertain anyone who could damage the spirit at the club, so Yarmolenko is certainly not causing the any issues at West Ham as his time at the club begins to wind down.
In other West Ham news, Martin Tyler was furious with Manchester United after an incident involving an Irons player on last week.
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