Oleksandr Zinchenko has admitted he broke down when Mikel Arteta left Manchester City to take on the role of Arsenal manager in December 2019.
Zinchenko has been nothing short of remarkable since making the move from City to Arsenal last summer and that is in large part due to Gunners boss Arteta. The Spaniard made the same move three years prior, in late 2019, when Arteta left his post as Pep Guardiola's assistant to take the reins at the Emirates.
It has since emerged that Zinchenko and Arteta struck up quite the relationship while the pair were at the Etihad together, with the former conceding he could barely contain his emotion after he found out the latter was taking on a new challenge away from Manchester.
The Ukrainian international reflected on that period while speaking to the Daily Mail, as he confessed: "I remember when Mikel was leaving City, I didn't hold my emotions. I couldn't because this guy was so special to me.
"He taught me a lot, as a human being he was incredible and the way he was working with us young players after every single training session, the advice he was giving everyone, was something incredibly important for me."
Zinchenko even went on to confess that he made quite the vow to himself upon Arteta's Etihad exit, adding: "I said to my circle: 'If one day I'm going to leave City and I'm going to stay in the Premier League, it will be only one manager: Mikel Arteta.'"
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The 26-year-old is clearly a man of his word and the Emirates faithful can be incredibly thankful that is the case.
Zinchenko has helped transform the way the Gunners play and despite starting as a left-back, the former City star can often be found playing eye of the needle through balls to Bukayo Saka on the other side of the pitch.
Few could have predicted just how important Zinchenko would prove to this Arsenal side so soon as they sit eight points clear at the top of the table with 10 games to play, though Arteta probably saw it coming. The Arsenal boss recently heaped praise on his £35million man's versatility.
"He can and he adapts to certain positions in the field in a great way," the Gunners boss explained.
"Sometimes he occupies those spaces, so we will see. Sometimes teams pose you questions and you need Alex in certain positions – he can play wider and higher up the pitch as well, so he is comfortable there.
"He has the freedom to move in certain spaces like he does and the action where he receives the ball, especially in certain games where we face a certain block."
