West Ham gives Ukrainian Yarmolenko days off due to Russian invasion

the technician of West HamDavid Moyes, confirmed that the club gave Ukrainian striker Andriy Yarmolenko a few days off, due to the impact caused by the invasion of his country by Russia.

The 32-year-old, of Ukrainian parents, was born in Russia but returned to Ukraine as a child. Yarmolenko ended a long hiatus from Twitter to advocate for peace by writing: “Pray for Ukraine. No to war”.

Pray for Ukraine ???????? ???????? #NoWar

— Andriy Yarmolenko (@Yarmolenko_7) February 24, 2022

“He’s not in a good spot right now, we’ve given him a few days off. We will do everything we can to help you. It’s a very difficult time for him and his family. I spoke to him yesterday [quinta-feira] and was upset, as you can imagine. We just hope his family is safe,” Moyes said at a pre-game press conference.

Everton manager Frank Lampard said he will speak with Ukrainian player Vitalii Mykolenko before deciding whether he will play against Manchester City not saturday.

Mykolenko, 22, wrote a post on Instagram on Thursday asking to hear “the desperate voice of my parents looking for an opportunity to protect themselves” during the invasion.

Manchester City’s Ukrainian left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko, very critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin on social media, expressed his availability to his coach, Pep Guardiola.

“Aleks is an incredibly strong guy. It’s not easy. But yesterday in training he was brilliant. He is ready to play if necessary,” said the Spanish captain.