Yuri Zhirkov
In Praise of the Russian Left-Back
BRUCE TO DECIDE ON SAMBA'S FUTURE SOON
English Championship side Aston Villa have been undergoing a massive transformation this term. It is hard to imagine that this is the same team that competed in the top flight only few months ago.
Bruce has been trying to get the balance right in the team and he would have to decide on Chris Samba within the next few days.
The 32-year old featured in the club's feeder team that played Wolves at Molineux on Monday. He was with Greek outfit Panathinaikos but he has been training with the club since his contract release. The former Blackburn defender played over 150 Premier League games but he joined Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala in 2012.
Queen Park Rangers were keen on bringing him back to England so they paid over £12 million after only a year. Samba returned to Russia where he played for Dynamo Moscow but soon joined the Greek club where he's been released.
"I watched Samba in the Under-23s game. I've known him through Big Sam and he's wanted to come and train. There's this notion that he's on trial. It's not really a trial as such," Bruce said.
Bruce added that though Samba wants to earn a contract, the club only just gave him "a platform to keep fit." The manager added that he would make his decision about the player in less than two weeks.
After a tough season, only Nathan Baker would likely start the game against Sheffield Wednesday this weekend. A lot of players that started the Championship season have moved out, while the rest are set to start from the bench at best. There have been "a massive turnover," new addition Neil Taylor said of the situation at the club.
Posted on March 28, 2017 by index in Zhirkov.
←Dynamo Moscow is working it's way back up
Zhirkov wants to play in the World Cup→