Ukraine's youth national team striker Demian Yesin has left Polish side Gutnik for Italian side Torino. "UVasked his father, Dmytro Yesin, to tell us about the national talent.
- To begin with, could you please tell us how Demian came up with the option of Torino? Who spotted him and where?
- Demian arrived in Italy in mid-October, firstly for a viewing. He played one sparring match - against Verona U-18, and the next day a friend from Italy called me and said that Torino were interested in my son.
- As far as I understand it, FIFA rules do not allow foreign players under the age of 18 to sign adult contracts. What are Demian's rights at Torino? Like a training contract? Who owns the rights to him?
- We have signed a contract with Torino until the end of the championship, and the very next day Demian's adult transfer will belong to Torino.
- What tournaments will he be able to take part in in 2024? Does this include the official matches of the Italian Youth Championship?
- Yes, of course. He is included in the application of the youth team and can play in the U-17, U-18 and U-19 tournaments.
- Has Demian already made his debut for Torino, at least in sparring matches?
- He has already had four sparring matches - twice against Torino's U-18s, once against the club's first team, and a friendly against Brescia.
"Before joining Shakhtar, he scored 9 goals in 11 matches for Mariupol"
- Let's rewind back. Who was Demian's first coach? Did he start playing football when you were playing for Illichivets?
- Demian started training in Mariupol. His first coach at the age of 5 was Dmitriy Chapny, and when he turned six, we moved to Donetsk. Demian started training at Shakhtar's academy, where he was coached by Dmitriy Yurievich Yefimov. And when the war broke out in 2014, we moved back to Mariupol. So, when it was time to play in the DUFL, he made his debut in the youth team of FC Mariupol. He was coached there by Volodymyr Kalach and San Sanych Mazurenko.
- How did he choose his position? At what points of the field did the coaches try him out and when did he finally establish himself as a forward?
- He showed himself in attack early on. Even before the start of the great war, he played as a centre forward. Now he is used as a left winger and as a ten. In the national team, he played more as a winger.
- To help readers understand, let's draw some parallels. In terms of the way he plays, his set of qualities and positions in the game, which players is Demian Yesin similar to?
- But let's not make loud comparisons. If we try to objectively assess Demian's playing qualities, he plays well one-on-one, has a good vision of the field and technique. The main thing is that during his studies at strong football schools, he has learned to benefit the team where necessary, so now he is a fairly versatile player, not necessarily tied to one point of the field.
- We know that Demian scored a lot of goals at DUFLU. At what point was he invited from FC Mariupol to Shakhtar? Was it because of his long scoring streak or some particularly bright match, like when he scored 4 goals against Metalist 1925 in one game?
- Indeed, it was there that Demian had a strong first round of the 2019/2020 season for Mariupol (9 goals in 11 matches) and received an invitation from Shakhtar. Was it just one match? It is unlikely that the decision was made based on the impressions of one game, even if it was as bright as the one against Kharkiv. Demyan was known at Shakhtar, they followed him.
- Why did you eventually decide to move from Shakhtar to Kolos? Why did he score much more for Kolos than for the Pitmen?
- At Shakhtar, Demian played only one half, I wanted more game practice. That's why we decided to move to Kolos, where I got much more playing time. This is probably the reason for the improvement in performance. Indeed, while he scored three goals for Shakhtar in the first round, he scored 10 goals in seven matches for Kolos. In total, he scored 22 goals in 18 DUFL matches for Kovalivka.
- Where did Demian and your family meet the beginning of the Great War?
- In Kyiv, because Demian was training at Kolos at the time. Of course, it was scary, first of all, for the children. So, when a group of young Ukrainian footballers were accepted in Poland, he also found himself in it.
- How did the Poles receive him and did he immediately find himself in Gutnik?
- At first, Demian played for Wisla, and then the option of Gutnik appeared. He tried hard, worked on himself. It was interesting for him, because after all, it is a new country, with its own specifics in the training process. I'm glad that, according to the feedback, the coaches were happy with him. Despite the period of adaptation and the war's disrupted form, Demian managed to score seven goals in 13 matches of the Polish youth championship. In fact, in one round.
- Now Demian is at Torino. This club has an idea about our market, because they once signed Pryima and were seriously interested in Dovbyk for several years. What is their attitude towards Demian? Is everything okay with his settlement, understanding with local players and coaches?
- The attitude is good. There is accommodation, food. Even online Italian lessons. Today, Demian can already communicate in Italian, and he speaks English and Polish well.
- We know that Demian is among the candidates for the youth national team. Is Demian ready to come to the national team with Torino?
- Of course, I'm ready to come to the national team of Ukraine! If only there was interest and trust from the coaches, and yes - playing for the national team is a great honour for a footballer.
- What is Demyan's goal in European football in general? How realistic is it to break into the basis of a Serie A club, given that only the strongest, most stable, most efficient ones make it to the stars there from the Primavera?
- Of course, he dreams of playing in the top 5 European championships. Torino, as a member of Serie A, is a dream come true. Now we need to work, improve ourselves, take every chance to prove ourselves. As for what you said, I also believe that it is a difficult task to break through from the youth team to the main team. But in Ukraine, we also have U-19 players making their way to the first club teams of the UPL. What can you do, this is the fate of a footballer - in every match, at every training camp, you have to prove that you are worthy of playing in the starting line-up.
Artur Valerko