Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has described the club’s pre-season tour as “tough” as he continues on the comeback trail from injury.
A calf issue continues to restrict the Ukrainian’s gametime ahead of Sunday’s Community Shield, which he is destined to miss despite Mikel Arteta describing him as “close” to a playing return.
Zinchenko went on the club’s tour of the United States despite his injury and admitted it was difficult watching from the sidelines, although he doesn’t regret the time away with his teammates.
“Well, it's always tough when you can’t play,” he told the Arsenal website.
“But it was nice to be all together and to prepare ourselves in the best way for the next season. We spent some good time together as a group, which will really help us for the season.
“It’s my second pre-season as I joined up with the team in America last time, so obviously I’ve had a year with the lads now and we already know each other much better. That makes everything easier.”
No official timeframe has been placed on Zinchenko’s return to the squad and the 26-year-old is most concerned with ensuring his comeback is a permanent one.
“It is getting better now,” he stated.
“Obviously I have a little bit of time to feel completely better in terms of my injury that I received before. The target at the moment is just to get as fit as possible as soon as I can, and then of course to stay fit throughout the season, which is most important. That’s my target.”
