The head coach of "Niva" Ternopil, Yuriy Virt, commented on the transfer of the team’s central defender Vasyl Burtnik to "Dynamo".
Yuriy Virt
— Tell us, what kind of player he is. What are his strengths that you can highlight? What attracted "Dynamo" to him?
— He deserves praise, earned this transfer with his work, he was one of the leaders of our team. In duels, he is very strong, both in the air and on the ground — simply a top player. I don’t know who in Ukraine can compare with him right now, he plays very well with his head on set pieces. He still has a lot to improve, but he also progresses the ball very well, he’s not afraid to join the attack, knows how to penetrate into free spaces with the ball, and is not afraid of it — these are his strong points.
— Last season, Vasyl played in the Second League, and in early October, Kyiv will play against "Crystal Palace". In your opinion, how ready is he for such a level of football? Can he handle such loads?
— It’s clear that transitioning directly to a Ukrainian giant, from a completely different level, is extremely difficult; adaptation will be necessary. He is a brave guy, and that’s already at the discretion of the head coach. But the fact that he is ready now, in great shape — that’s for sure; we need to understand that European competitions and giants will depend on Vasyl himself, on how he works and how he integrates into "Dynamo", it will be very interesting. I believe that he is a very quality footballer.
— Who do you think he would be more comfortable playing with in "Dynamo"? Is he ready to compete with players who have established themselves in the starting lineup?
— Of course, he will compete. I understand that they have Popov and Bilovar, but Mykhavko and Burtnik are both products of Lviv football. I do not rule out the possibility that maybe not right away, but perhaps later, this duo can happen; I would find that interesting.
— Was the offer from "Dynamo" a surprise to you? What was your reaction?
— It was indeed surprising; the president called me and said that we were losing a player who was very important to us. But I always tell footballers that they should strive for this, "Niva" is a springboard, we have a young team, we must work hard to get into teams like "Dynamo" or "Shakhtar". I am pleased that they noticed him, believed in him; everything will depend on him. This is a motivation for our players that we can reach teams like that.
Timur Koval
