"I'm afraid that..." Star of Ukraine's youth team explains refusal to play at Euro 2023

English Bournemouth defender Ilya Zabarnyi deliberately refused to play for the Ukrainian youth national team at the 2023 European Championships. He noted that due to the injury he suffered in the spring, he still has not gained optimal conditions and wants to prepare as best as possible for the new Premier League season.

Zabarnyi said this in an interview with Suspilne Sport. He stressed that Bournemouth are scheduled to play their first friendly on 13 July, and if he goes to the youth team, he will have very little time to rest, which will affect his readiness for the start of the season.

"I will support youth team. It's a pity I won't be going. I understand that if I go, play a lot of matches there and then go to the training camp, I will have a very difficult season, it will be very difficult after the injury. I'm afraid that in a couple of months I will lose myself. That's why I have to recover and help the club and the national team with renewed vigour," Zabarnyi said.

According to the results of the draw, coach Ruslan Rotan's wards got into the Euro 2023 U-21 quartet B, where their rivals will be Croatia, Romania and Spain. Our team will play the first game against their Croatian peers on 21 June.

It is worth noting that Ilya took part in all three games of the national team in June. He managed to score his debut goal for the national team, hitting the goal of Northern Macedonia in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, the Ukrainian national team defeated Malta in the Euro 2024 qualifiers in a match with two penalties. After the game, the head coach of the Blue and Yellows Serhiy Rebrov expressed outrage over the comments of the fans.

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