Being left out of the Manchester City first team only convinces Aleks Zinchenko to work harder as he hopes to prove himself all over again in the Champions League game at RB Leipzig.
Zinchenko, 24, is into his fifth season with Pep Guardiola and sixth with the club despite being made available to leave in at least three summer transfer windows, instead playing his part in three Premier League titles at the Etihad.
Once again, injuries and the form of others have seen him start the year slowly; he has only started three games in all competitions with his first and only Premier League start coming last week at Aston Villa, while Joao Cancelo has been almost always immovable from the team.
However, Guardiola recently reiterated how impressed he is with Zinchenko's attitude when he isn't in the team and believes that good performances are more likely when he does feature as a result. The Ukrainian international was trusted to play in midfield in the 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain, and RB Leipzig is an opportunity for Zinchenko to plant another flag in the ground and remind the manager of the role he can play in a season where City are again competing on multiple fronts.
"We have to respect every decision from the manager and each other as well but still you have to fight for your place and work hard to get this chance and when you get it you have to use it 100 per cent," he said.
"I am here already for fifth season and I was in all these positions but the one thing I know is to be successful you need to work hard. That is the only key. Everyone here is working hard and you have to give everything to say to yourself in the end, 'Yes I have done my best, my 100 per cent' and if you don’t play you don’t deserve to."
