In June 2014, the Ukrainian club were forced to flee Luhansk because of the conflict with pro-Russia separatists who founded the Luhansk People’s Republic. He returned to Zaporizhzhya and worked as a coach at Metalurh before becoming the assistant manager of Zorya in 2009. “United are not just serious opponents, but very serious ones,” said the midfielder Dmytro Hrechyshkin, one of those on loan from Shakhtar. Every player dreams of playing against such clubs as United. Apart from on a computer game, it was difficult to envisage a game between United and Zorya a few years ago.

Source: The Guardian September 29, 2016 09:00 UTC