Former "Zenit" team member and new coach Oleg Shatov explained why there are no young Russian footballers in the main squad of the "blue-white-blue" team. This was reported by Euro-football.ru.
According to him, the main goal of the coach is to win the championship. Therefore, the team must have the strongest and most prepared players.
Shatov expressed this opinion in response to a question from Fyodor Smolov on the Smol Talk YouTube channel. Currently, there are only three Russian footballers in Zenit's first team.
They are goalkeeper Yevgeniy Latyshonok, defender Duglas Santos, and forward Maksim Glushenkov. Shatov also previously noted that the level of Russian footballers has declined.
This situation is affecting the development of football in the country and highlights the need to pay more attention to young generation players. Coaches are relying on experienced players to strengthen the team.
As a result, opportunities for young players are limited. This issue in football needs to be resolved in the long term.
Supporting and developing young players is considered an important task for the future of football in the country
