Oleksandr Zinchenko can take solace in David Silva example on emotional Man City return

Pep Guardiola generally doesn’t like to give anything away about his Manchester City team selections.

But ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Peterborough United, he understandably wanted to leave no ambiguity whatsoever around Oleksandr Zinchenko’s involvement in the FA Cup fifth-round tie. “Yes he will [play],” he said.

“[He is] absolutely fine [to play], I think it will be good for him to play and show the reason why he is here. He is a magnificent player [and] needs to play football.”

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Phil Foden might have scored a dramatic late winner in what could be a pivotal title-race moment and Rodri might have remarkably got away with handling in his own box, but there was one defining image from Saturday’s 1-0 win at Everton.

Zinchenko stood at the side of the pitch in tears, having embraced his international team-mate Vitaliy Mykolenko to applause during the warm-ups, as both teams showed solidarity with the people of Ukraine before kick-off - united in calls for the violence of the Russian invasion to cease.

The 25-year-old’s response to the unfolding tragedy has been emotional and visible over recent days, from his appearance at a vigil in St Peter’s Square last Thursday to his Instagram posts strongly condemning Russia’s war.

“Human beings have an incredible ability to adapt and overcome difficult situations,” Guardiola continued. “Of course when he is at home, talking to family and friends and seeing the videos [of what is happening in Ukraine], of course he cannot be happy.

“But in training with his mates, talking in the locker room, football is so addictive, the ball is so attractive. That’s why, when they are there and playing. In a short