Vitaliy Mykolenko: "My recovery is on track, positive progress"
Defender of the Ukrainian national team Vitaliy Mykolenko spoke about the start of the team's preparation for the European Championship.
The blue-yellow team has begun preparations for Euro 2024 and has already completed their first training session in Germany. Vitaliy Mykolenko shared how he celebrated his 25th birthday, as well as the process of his recovery after an injury.
"It was the first day, we were just gathering, and not everyone had arrived yet. I think closer to the matches we will feel this pressure. I did warm-up exercises with the team, there was ball work. My recovery is on track. Our medical staff said the progress is positive. Hopefully, I'll be back in the main group soon.
Serhiy Rebrov congratulated me on my birthday. Nothing special, he wished me health, which is the most important thing in our profession and life in general, and more victories, not only on the pitch but also beyond its borders. I often have to celebrate birthdays with national teams, starting from the U-17 level. I believe that 25 years old is a normal age for a footballer. Not young, but not old either. It's just the golden middle," said Vitaliy Mykolenko.
Ukraine national team roster:
Goalkeepers: Georgiy Bushchan (Dynamo Kyiv), Anatoliy Trubin (Benfica, Portugal), Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid, Spain).
Defenders: Mykola Matviyenko, Yukhym Konoplya, Valeriy Bondar (all Shakhtar Donetsk), Oleksandr Tymchyk (Dynamo Kyiv), Vitaliy Mykolenko (Everton, England), Illia Zabarnyi (Bournemouth, England), Oleksandr Svatok (SK Dnipro-1), Maksym Talovierov (LASK, Austria), Bohdan Mykhaylichenko (Polissya Zhytomyr).
Midfielders: Andriy Yarmolenko, Mykola Shaparenko, Volodymyr Brazhko (all Dynamo Kyiv), Taras Stepanenko, Oleksandr Zubkov, Georgiy Sudakov (all Shakhtar Donetsk), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal, England), Viktor Tsygankov (Girona, Spain), Mykhailo Mudryk (Chelsea, England), Serhiy Sydorchuk (Westerlo, Belgium), Ruslan Malinovskyi (Genoa, Italy).
Forwards: Artem Dovbyk (Girona, Spain), Roman Yaremchuk (Valencia, Spain), Vladyslav Vanat (Dynamo Kyiv).
Reserve list: Dmytro Riznyk, Danylo Sikan (both Shakhtar Donetsk), Denys Popov, Vitaliy Buyalskyi, Vladyslav Kabaiev (all Dynamo Kyiv), Yehor Yarmolyuk (Brentford, England).
On June 3, the team will play a friendly match against the hosts of EURO 2024 in Nuremberg, Germany. Kick-off is at 21:45 Kyiv time.
The next day, the team will fly to Warsaw, Poland. In the capital of the neighboring country, Ukraine will play its next preparatory and friendly match against Poland on June 7. Kick-off is at 21:45 Kyiv time.
The final match before the pre-tournament camp will be against the Moldovan national team on June 11 in Chisinau, Moldova. Kick-off is at 19:00 Kyiv time.
On June 12, the national team will arrive at their permanent base for EURO 2024 in Wiesbaden.
Group E Match Schedule for EURO 2024
June 17: Romania vs Ukraine. Arena Munich, Munich. Kick-off: 16:00 Kyiv time.
June 17: Belgium vs Slovakia. Frankfurt Stadium, Frankfurt. Kick-off: 19:00 Kyiv time.
June 21: Slovakia vs Ukraine. Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf. Kick-off: 16:00 Kyiv time.
June 22: Belgium vs Romania. Cologne Stadium, Cologne. Kick-off: 22:00 Kyiv time.
June 26: Slovakia vs Romania. Frankfurt Stadium, Frankfurt. Kick-off: 19:00 Kyiv time.
June 26: Ukraine vs Belgium. Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart. Kick-off: 19:00 Kyiv time.
Kick-off times are in Kyiv time.
Oleksandr Hlyvynskyi, press secretary of the Ukrainian national team
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