Oleksandr Zinchenko has jokingly warned Mykhailo Mudryk against scoring for Chelsea this weekend when they face Arsenal.
The pair have spent the past fortnight together on international duty with Ukraine, who still have a realistic chance of securing qualification for Euro 2024.
Ukraine sit second in Group C behind England, three points ahead of Italy, though they have played a game more than their rivals for second place. It all looks set to go down to the final round of qualifying matches, when Italy travel to face Ukraine.
There were some nervy moments for Zinchenko and his side last time out against Malta, with the lead only 2-1 heading into the final minutes of the match.
Mudryk put the result beyond doubt though, cutting in off the left wing brilliantly before whipping a strike into the far corner from distance for his first senior Ukraine goal.
He will be looking for more of the same when he returns to Chelsea for Saturday's derby against Arsenal, though Zinchenko has little intention of letting there be any repeat.
"I told him, ‘if you do or attempt to do that on Saturday, I’ll rip your balls off'," Zinchenko said.
"But the most important thing for us was to take three points. I am very happy for him and for the national team, Mykhailo’s goal was important because he calmed down the game a little.
"We have already had the experience of being 2-1 up and losing points in the last minutes, as happened against Kazakhstan. So this goal means a lot to us and gives us confidence.
"But now we all have to switch to clubs and on Saturday I already have a very important game in London waiting for me, so Mykhailo, I’m telling you once again…"
