English football holds the biggest attraction – Yarmolenko

Dynamo Kiev winger Andriy Yarmolenko would welcome the chance to play in the Premier League, revealing his preference would be for a move to England over Spain.

The Ukraine international will test himself against one of England’s biggest clubs when he lines up for Dynamo against Manchester City in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Although Yarmolenko and his team-mates have not played a competitive fixture in 2016, they do have home advantage for the first leg of the knockout tie.

The 26-year-old knows the two games offer him the chance to impress potential suitors, with England his preferred destination if he does leave his homeland to continue his career abroad.

“I would certainly like to prove myself at the highest level,” Yarmolenko said in a joint interview with the Guardian and sportarena.com. 

“I watch the Premier League and La Liga regularly as they are the best leagues in Europe in my opinion. 

“Although, I have to say that English football holds the biggest attraction for me.

“The focus is on physical battles while the tactical aspect is not as important.

“It’s all about the entertainment and that’s why the stadiums are always sold out, that’s why they sign these multibillion TV deals.”

While Dynamo could be rusty – their last meaningful outing was in the Champions League group stage back on December 9 – City go into the first leg on Wednesday having lost their last three outings in all competitions.

However, Yarmolenko, who hopes to shake off a knee injury so he can play a full part in the first leg, still expects Manuel Pellegrini’s side to provide a serious test for the hosts on Wednesday.

“City may not have been at their best this season but we mustn’t underestimate them,” he said. 

“I have watched all of their recent matches. They have had a lot of injuries recently but they have great resources and they’ve already showed that they are able to cope without the players who are missing.”