Well-known Belarusian coach Oleg Dulub spoke about the development of Dynamo defender Taras Mykhavko.
Oleg Dulub— At PFC "Lviv" you encountered young Taras Mykhavko. Tell us about him.
— I was able to see Mykhavko thanks to a coincidence. We went with Oleksandr Anatoliyovych Hranovskyi at the invitation of Roman Yevhenovych Mykhailiv to watch the reserve team play. At that time they were playing a friendly match against "Dnipro" at "Sokol". Here comes a young 16-year-old boy with bandaged arms in the position of left central defender. Hranovskyi was the first to notice him. He told me right away: “Look at this boy.” His head is always up, he has a good left foot, and he doesn’t lose speed to anyone.
— What’s wrong with Mykhavko’s arms, why were they bandaged?
— We were told that he constantly breaks his arms. We had to go to Abramovich (doctor of Lviv Roman Stepanovych Abramovich — ed.). He examined Taras and stated that he has a problem with his spine and needs to work on his “lower body” for two months. Roman Stepanovych relieved him of this injury, and he returned to training. We always allowed talented youth to train with the first team.
— Mykhavko performs at "Dynamo" not very consistently: sometimes he is called the “second Zabarnyi”, and sometimes he scores own goals.
— You shouldn’t expect stability from a 19-year-old footballer.
— But there is the example of Zabarnyi, who played for the Ukrainian national team at 19.
— Zabarnyi is from the category of players who physically developed earlier than their peers. At 19, he looked like a 27-year-old footballer in terms of his level of play. Although Mykhavko is a bit behind in development compared to Zabarnyi, in the future, once he matures and strengthens, he will be able to progress without yielding to those players who developed earlier. Taras will eventually reveal himself. But circumstances have it that at 19 he had to become a starter at "Dynamo". He is coping. Good job!
Next to Mykhavko, there should be an experienced footballer to advise him. Popov is quite young for such a role, but he’s doing well; he reminds me of Sergio Ramos, they even have a similar appearance. If Bushchan were a central defender, he has the charisma to guide Mykhavko.
— Will we see Mykhavko in Europe in the future?
— I really hope so.
— In which championship?
— Mykhavko would fit well in the Spanish Primera because he has good ball control.
Andriy Piskun
