A number of Arsenal stars are currently away from the Emirates Stadium on international duty.
Whilst Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice withdrew from the England squad due to injury, and Martin Odegaard opted to remain at Arsenal rather than join the Norway squad in order to focus on his fitness, plenty of players have been called away from North London.
Kai Havertz impressed the German media with his performance against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Meanwhile, Jurrien Timber started for the Netherlands on Saturday, whilst Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli have both been in action for Brazil.
However, Oleksandr Zinchenko has been frustrated in this international break so far, despite having joined up with the rest of the Ukraine team.
Oleksandr Zinchenko left out by Ukraine
Ukraine took on Georgia in a Nations League clash on Saturday, and were held to a 1-1 draw in Batumi.
Despite being one of the most experienced and decorated players in the Ukrainian squad, having also captained his country on previous occasions, Zinchenko was named amongst the substitutes for this fixture.
The Arsenal left-back was not called upon from the bench to add to his 68 caps at any point.
The 27-year-old has barely featured for the Gunners this season. It would now seem that the former Manchester City man has fallen down the pecking order on the international stage, too.
Arsenal fans send clear message as Mikel Arteta faces Zinchenko decision
Zinchenko is one of the Arsenal players on the chopping block ahead of the January transfer window, along with Jakub Kiwior and Keiran Tierney.
Mikel Arteta has a surplus of players able to feature in the left-back role, with Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber clearly the first picks for the position, whilst the emergence of Myles Lewis-Skelly from the Hale End academy has only added to the competition for minutes in this part of the pitch.
If Zinchenko can’t get a kick for Ukraine, then he stands almost no chance of re-establishing himself as a key player at Arsenal.
Arteta has suggested that Zinchenko is in his plans still, but the evidence does not back up the Spanish coach’s words. The Gunners could now do with getting the full-back’s wages off their books as soon as possible, and the player himself could also benefit from a fresh start elsewhere in January.
Arsenal fans on X have made their feelings about Zinchenko clear, too.
One said: “No game time for Zinchenko.”
Another stated: “Looks like Zinchenko doesn’t even start for Ukraine anymore.”
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