Although Ajax celebrated a 4-1 win over Fortuna Sittard at the weekend, they were dealt a huge blow just days later. The club announced that Oleksandr Zinchenko, who only joined the club during the recent transfer window, may be ruled out for the season due to injury. The Ukraine international was forced off just six minutes into his second appearance for Ajax and is likely to miss out on his country’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Ajax had hoped that after signing Zinchenko from Arsenal he would provide them with extra quality to help them finish in the top two. Sadly, that’s unlikely to happen now for Zinchenko and Ajax. After making 10 appearances for Nottingham Forest on loan this season, Zinchenko returned to Arsenal and is preparing to move to Ajax. The move will give the 29-year-old the chance to get more first-team action ahead of his country’s clash with Sweden at the end of March.
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Ukraine will now play without Zinchenko but hope they still have enough quality to get past Graham Potter’s side. If they do so, they will face the winner between Poland and Albania for qualification for this summer’s World Cup.