National team shuffle: Dynamo player called in to replace EPL star for Ukraine
Photo: Vitalii Mykolenko (Getty Images)
The Ukrainian national team has made another forced change ahead of the September matches of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the official website of the national Football Association reports.
What happened to Mykolenko
Everton defender Vitalii Mykolenko will not be able to help Serhii Rebrov's team in the matches against France and Azerbaijan.
"After MRI examination, the player was diagnosed with an injury sustained in matches for the club. Because of this, he will not be able to play in the September qualifiers," the UAF's official statement says.
It should be noted that Mykolenko missed the start of the season at the club level due to health problems.
Today, the footballer has already left the team's camp and returned to England for recovery.
Who was called up as a replacement?
Instead of Mykolenko, Serhii Rebrov called up 27-year-old Dynamo Kyiv defender Vladyslav Dubinchak.
The footballer has not yet played for the national team, so these matches could be his debut in the Ukrainian jersey.
In addition to Dubinchak, other versatile players—Bohdan Mykhailichenko, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Mykola Matvienko—capable of covering the left flank of defense remain in the squad of the Blue and Yellows.
Vladyslav Dubinchak (photo: FC Dynamo)
Ukraine's losses before the start of the qualifiers
Earlier, the Ukrainian national team lost goalkeeper Andrii Lunin, who was replaced by Heorhii Bushchan.
Ukraine will start the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on September 5 in Wrocław, Poland, with a match against France. The next game will take place on September 9 in Baku, where the Blue-and-Yellows will face Azerbaijan.
Previously, we wrote about the first training session of the Ukrainian national team before the match against France.
