Guardiola: Ukrainian defender Zinchenko should continue to play

"Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Zinchenko went through a very difficult period after the Russian invasion of his country, but continuing to play was the best thing for the 25-year-old," Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola said.

Zinchenko sat in tears on the bench and did not play in City's 1-0 win over Everton in the Premier League at the weekend, but returned to lead the team in a 2-0 victory at Peterborough on Tuesday after captain Fernandinho handed him the captaincy.

"Our captain decided to give him the captain's armband to show how important the situation is," Guardiola told ITV Sport before the match. "All of us at the club support this kind gesture and stand behind our captain who represents his country."

Guardiola said Zinchenko had received a lot of support.

"He has not only received (support from the masses), but from all over the world and the UK because of this crazy situation we're in right now," he added.

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