Former Shakhtar midfielder Vyacheslav Pidnebennyi named the most talented Donetsk player of his time in an interview withUV.
- "For me, Maksym Kovalev has always been a Shakhtar first-team player in terms of his level. When Stepanenko and Kryvtsov were bought, Max was stronger than the two of them combined," Pidnebennyi said.