Oleksandr Zinchenko had to be substituted in the final minutes of the first half during Nottingham Forest’s Europa League match against Porto after picking up an injury
Oleksandr Zinchenko was visibly upset after being forced off by an injury in Nottingham Forest’s match against Porto on Thursday night.
Zinchenko was replaced by Nicola Savona in the 45th minute after appearing to injure his groin. The Ukraine international, who is on loan from Arsenal, pulled his shirt up over his face and appeared to be in tears as he went off with the medical staff.
The left-back was making his sixth appearance of the season for Forest in their first match under their third manager of the season, Sean Dyche. Things had been going well for Forest, who led 1-0 at the break thanks to Morgan Gibbs-White’s penalty following a handball by Jan Bednarek.
But Zinchenko’s injury came as an early blow to Dyche, who is taking charge of his first match after succeeding Ange Postecoglou as boss.
READ MORE: Harry Kane eclipses Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as he sets staggering recordREAD MORE: Liverpool star Andy Robertson sends message to Jordan Henderson ahead of Brentford reunion
The full-back joined Forest on a season-long loan on transfer deadline day. The 28-year-old moved in search of more regular first-team football, having been limited to 15 Premier League appearances last season for the Gunners, most of which came from the bench.
Zinchenko signed for Nuno Espirito Santo’s Forest, but the Portuguese manager was sacked just eight days later, with owner Evangelos Marinakis then appointing former Tottenham boss Postecoglou, only for the Australian to last just 39 days.
It remains to be seen how serious Zinchenko’s injury is, but his move certainly hasn’t worked out yet, despite his excitement upon signing. “I feel unbelievable,” he said at the time. “I have to say a big thank you for the welcome from everyone. There are so many good people around the club and I am so happy.
“It’s an amazing opportunity. I want to help the team achieve its goals and show myself that I can do good things on the pitch.
“I remember the day when this opportunity came about; I was so happy and excited, to be honest.”
The Ukraine international is known to operate in both defence and midfield, something he insists he is happy to do during his time at the City Ground.
“I used to be asked what position is my best, but to be honest I’m ready to help my team wherever I can and wherever I’m needed, and I will always try to give my best.
“I want to make an impact on the pitch but also off it. It’s important to be part of the team and help the young players as someone with that experience already. Then we can push each other to achieve big things.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
