Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has named Mohamed Salah as the toughest opponent he has faced during his career.
Zinchenko has encountered Liverpool on four occasions during his career, three of those outings coming during his time at Manchester City, and the fourth in last season’s 2-2 draw between Arsenal and Liverpool.
The Ukrainian player was a guest on Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube channel, where he was asked about the toughest player he has faced in his career; he said, “Salah, I believe it’s Salah.
“With all due respect to the others, especially Riyad Mahrez, whom I played against when he was at Leicester City, Salah is an absolutely explosive and unstoppable winger.”
Zinchenko also recalled his battle with Salah during the 2019 Community Shield, which Manchester City won 5-4 on penalties after it finished 1-1 after 90 minutes.
“I remember in the 2019 Community Shield match, I won with Manchester City on penalties, and Mikel Arteta was still on the coaching staff back then,” he said
“Between the halves of the match, I went to the dressing room and asked Mikel Arteta, what should I do against all this?
“Virgil van Dijk takes control of the ball on the left side and plays with his right foot without any pressure. With his first touch, Wijnaldum runs between the lines, between me and Nicolas Otamendi, and I need to protect the defensive space.
“Salah drops wide, the ball to feet and the distance between me and Salah, was like 50 meters. Imagine his pace against me, I’m finished. What do I need to do at half-time? There was like five balls like this in a row,” he added.
“When Mohamed Salah is receiving the ball at his feet and he gets the pace, it’s impossible, impossible.”
