England players in awe of Oleksandr Zinchenko amid the war in Ukraine

The England players who take on Ukraine on Sunday are well-versed in that nation’s struggles, not only because the invasion of Russia makes headlines every day, but also because many of them have a personal connection to Oleksandr Zinchenko.

John Stones, Kyle Walker, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish know him well from his time at Manchester City and Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale are now team-mates at Arsenal. As such, they are aware of the enormity of the situation and the personal cost to Ukrainians.

Stones remembers the day of the invasion last year and the trauma the news brought to Zinchenko. “Usually he’s such a bubbly, really happy person,” Stones said.

He was not himself at all, he was very sad. He impacted us as a team. I never thought I would see this happen and I was definitely upset for Zinner.

“We were trying to talk to him and get him to express his feelings. He was always looking for what his family was doing that was still there and how he could help. And also spread the word about how we can help people. It was a very difficult time, especially for him.

Former Man City teammate John Stones (centre) spoke about how the war affected Zinchenko and the support he received.

Stones praised the Ukrainian’s mental strength in dealing with the horrors of war

I know that he was out on the streets of Manchester with many of his compatriots that he could be with and support at the time. And that is a great merit for him and his wife.

‘I have a lot of love for him and a lot of respect. But I don’t think we can put ourselves in that situation until we’ve lived through it, which I hope we never have to. I can only admire what he has done and respect everything that has happened, him and his family. How you have gone through his daily work and his daily life.

Football recovered as best it could, with fans displaying Ukrainian flags and messages of support. “I think people appreciate what people are going through, showing their hearts,” Stones said.

“Put aside your club and your love for your team and your support for that moment and recognize that there are more important things than football.” Obviously, that was and still is Ukraine at this time.

“I can’t imagine what he went through to be fair and for him to go through it smoothly and, like you said, win another title.” [with City] it’s a huge credit to him and his entire support team, his wife, his mental toughness and all. I think he probably wanted to do that for them, to be successful and not let it get him down or stop him from achieving his goal.”

Zinchenko is now on pace to win a fifth Premier League winner’s medal in his short career, having moved to Arsenal, now eight points clear at the top of the table. And Saka says Zinchenko has made a big difference in the locker room in their title fight.

“He’s brought quality, he’s brought a lot,” Saka said. ‘You can see how he plays and how he controls the game. He is an outstanding player. He is not only a quality player, he has excellent leadership qualities. He is helping us on both fronts.

Zinchenko has been a huge success at the Emirates and is on his way to another title medal.

Saka says Zinchenko has brought a winning mentality to the club since joining Arsenal

“He has a little bit of fire about him and he uses it in ways that help him. On the field he uses it to cheer himself up and win duels. He also has that other side of him, the balance in his head that he needs to play well.”

Zinchenko has joined from City with Gabriel Jesus, who also has four Premier League titles to his name, and Saka said:

“They have brought us that winning mentality as players who have been there and have won the league. In difficult moments they know what it feels like, they can cheer us on, because we have a lot of young players. They help us with the mental side.

‘No one can understand what he is going through. He is a man of incredible mental strength. Being able to focus on the game when he plays for Arsenal and his country, and doing it well, is a great credit to him.”