Dovbyk’s former coach: “He’s become more experienced and versatile.” | OneFootball

The former coach of Artem Dovbyk, Yuriy Bakalov, discussed the player’s growth that led to his big transfer to the Italian capital.

In an interview with Ukrfootball.ua, Bakalov described Dovbyk’s ascent:

“It is clear that he has ability and potential. At that moment, in 2014-15, he played very little: the team had much more experienced attackers,” said Bakalov of Dovbyk’s early years in the Ukrainian second division.

“However I brought him up, of course; I thought he had potential. But even in those circumstances he managed to score several goals. He was a boy with a great desire. I can’t say it was me who saw anything special in him; he had a talent for scoring, but to say that I saw that kind of future for him is perhaps too much.”

“Now he is a more experienced and versatile striker, because he has already played in many positions. He was a tall, thin boy. At the same time, I wouldn’t say that he had an exceptional technique back then. He just knew where to position himself and had good speed.”

“I don’t have to give him advice, he knows his situation well. It would be easy to say go to Manchester, but he has already visited Midtjylland, Girona and other places. The most important thing is that he has new experiences. When he went to Spain he put himself out there and became the top scorer in La Liga. Artem is still a young footballer, so I hope that he will be able to realize himself in the new team.”