- How do you feel after rehabilitation in Slovenia?
- I feel better day after day. I do cardio and strength exercises. Still training at the gym is totally different from training on the field.
- What are further steps in your recovery process?
- I’m already jogging a bit. If I don’t feel pain, I’ll increase exercise load. I think everything will be fine.
- What about your mental health?
- It’s really hard when you can’t play and help the team. That’s the first time in Dynamo I miss so many games. It’s great my family and friends support me. My teammates also do.
- Was this a good season for you?
- Two months ago I’d say it was, but we haven’t won the league and the national cup. Second place is a bad result for Dynamo. But generally we played pretty well.
- Then how come you finished second?
- Playing against FC Shakhtar Donetsk we felt we were better. We lost points when we weren’t supposed to. For example, we lost against FC Karpaty Lviv although they had only a couple of chances. When we opposed Chelsea FC, our striker was Denys Harmash. Many players couldn’t play due to suspension. We were often unlucky this season.
- Do you see the progress of your team?
- Of course I do. We have a young team. The club wants youngsters to play and it’s great. Next season we’ll definitely be better.
- Which young players are making headway?
- Viktor Tsyhankov did very well even last season, but I think Vitaliy Mykolenko is the one who’s made the largest step forward. He has great future. I’d also like to mention Yevhen Isayenko and Denys Popov. They all do their best, stay after training sessions to work more. Tsyhankov is a true professional. His thoughts are only about football.
- Who’s the most promising Dynamo player?
- I guess that’s Tsyhankov. He proves that on the field. If he makes a right step, he’ll have incredible future.
- What were the brightest episodes of the season?
- I guess that’s my goal against Olympiacos FC in Greece and victory in the Super Cup.
- Dynamo are the only team that didn’t concede against AFC Ajax at home in 2018/2019 Champions League. Did you expect Ajax to reach that far?
- I remember those games. They totally controlled everything. Ajax have proved they’re great team. We knew they had good performers, but we didn’t think they would reach so far. I guess their best players are de Jong and Tadic.
- What’s your life like outside the field?
- I really like to have a walk, especially in Khreshchatyk. Kyiv is a great city with lots of sights and good restaurants.
- In spring Dynamo signed de Pena. Have teammates found mutual understanding with him?
- He’s a good player. I wish Carlos came to Dynamo earlier, when we had a lot of inured performers. I think he’ll stay with us.
- Which language do you speak with teammates?
- Russian. Tomasz Kedziora has helped me a lot with that. At first we had a language mix and that was funny.
- Shall we see different Dynamo next season?
- Sure. First of all, because our injured players will recover. Besides youngsters are making headway.
