Since Sunderland have finally announced the signing of Ukrainian Nazariy Rusyn, we spoke with @ZoryaLondonsk for the lowdown on Rusyn.
What type of striker is Nazariy?
Unorthodox CF - agile, likes arriving late into the box, good at dribbling - ball at his feet. Likes it into feet.
Will Luhansk fans be sad to see him go?
Yeah, he was a big part of their attack last year - contributed a lot in both goals and assists. They understand the move though and that it’s a big opportunity for the player.
How has Rusyn gotten on in Ukraine?
He’s had quite a tumultuous career. Never hit the ground running at Dynamo. However largely as a result of them trying to play him as a target man type.
A Zorya loan and then permanent moves worked really well for him. Allowed to thrive as a LW that played relatively narrow. If he has a partner up top at Sunderland - he’ll really benefit working in a tandem where he can help support another strike partner
Do you expect to see Rusyn leading the line for the senior Ukraine team soon?
To be honest - no. The way Ukraine play, they require an out and out CF. A pacy direct forward. Rusyn just doesn’t have the ideal attributes for this.
I can see him being called up though as 3rd choice forward / 2nd choice winger though but at the moment he’s not near Dovbyk, Vanat or Yaremchuk.
Does he have the potential to be a Premier League player one day?
For a newly promoted club, maybe. For an established side, I would like to see what he can do at Sunderland first.
I feel the gulf between the UPL (Ukrainian Premier League) and the Championship is one thing. He can bridge that gap with a little time. Championship to Premier League is a whole other ball game.
Here at Sunderland we have quite an unfortunate record for injuries with forwards, so what is his injury record like? Any major issues?
He’s not had any major injuries for a while. Ironically the most recent few games he missed were just before the move. However, he’s a relatively resolute and strong player. Should be able to hack the physicality of the Championship. May take a bit of time to get used to the pace of it though
How’s his attitude?
He had a really bad loan spell with Legia Warsaw a couple of years ago where he fell out with the manager and was sent to train with the reserves. Ended up making one cup app for the first team in 6 months.
However, bar that he’s always tried to make a name for himself wherever he’s gone. Zorya has been the main place where he has been able to do that. Looking forward to see how he gets on in the NE.
