On one hand, the first part of the club season for Ukraine's national team midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi with Italian "Atalanta" has been quite good.

Out of 15 matches that Bergamo-based Atalanta played during this period, our player participated in 14, missing only one match due to not being included in the squad for a Serie A home game against "Sassuolo" on October 15.

However, if we look at the number of playing minutes Malinovskyi has had, the level of satisfaction drops. Ruslan only started five times for "The Goddess" and did not play any match until its conclusion.

In Italy, rumors are growing about increasing distrust towards the Ukrainian from Atalanta's head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. Moreover, local media is increasingly reporting that Malinovskyi might leave Bergamo as early as January 2023.

It’s hard to tell what’s true and what are just rumors at this point. However, the small amount of playing time for Ruslan, and consequently his modest goal-scoring contribution (one goal and two assists), do provide grounds for certain discussions.