Manchester City opinion: Guardiola should offer Zinchenko a new deal

In the end, the race was won by Manchester City. Pep Guardiola and his near perfect team of robots outdid Jurgen Klopp and his near perfect team of misfits. The fact that it was just by one point may be a little harsh on the Reds but in the end, the Cityzens prevailed.

They were pushed and harried by Liverpool and if it wasn’t for a string of draws in January, things would have been different. But, while Manchester City may have prevailed over Liverpool, their season was a vastly different one to the one they had the last term.

In fact, they lost more games, conceded more goals and yet still ended up as the Champions of England. Their Champions League exploits didn’t go too well either, losing to Tottenham in the quarter-finals.

It simply shows that Manchester City’s team is far from perfect. Whether or not they have the mettle and the mental energy to go further than the quarter-finals in Europe is yet to be seen.

But they’ve managed to achieve nearly everything in England after their win over Watford saw them win a domestic treble.

A domestic treble but a treble all the same, but given their situation at left-back, it’s a massive shock that the club have even managed to reach this far. Benjamin Mendy is arguably the perfect left-back for Guardiola’s style of play.

But injuries have seen him spend more time on the physio’s table than on a teamsheet. However, the sheer fact that attacking midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko has managed to seamlessly slot into the space left by an injured Mendy has paid dividends.

That’s why with the Daily Mail is reporting that the club has offered him a new deal, it’s one that Manchester City have to get over the line soon. The Evening Standard has already previously reported that Zinchecko’s success as a left-back has seen Guardiola abandon the pursuit for a replacement.

The Ukrainian star is a midfielder by trade but thanks to a combination of defensive work-ethic and his attacking instinct, it makes him a great left-back. It shows the faith that the Spaniard has in the former Shakhtar Donetsk man and why a new deal has to be given.

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Conclusion

If Manchester City does not give Oleksandr Zinchenko a new deal, it will be a decision that the club ends up regretting. The 24-year-old has seamlessly slotted into the teamsheet and that alone should see him get a bumper new contract.

But combine that with his performances and consistency over the last few years and it makes him a key figure in Pep Guardiola’s team.