Oleksandr Zinchenko has been a transformative figure at Arsenal since joining the north London giants in the summer.

The Ukraine international left reigning Premier League champions Manchester City to link up with Mikel Arteta and Gabriel Jesus at the Emirates. He has helped the Gunners into a two-point lead at the summit of England’s top flight, becoming a key part of their regular starting XI at left back.

He has brought a winning culture to Arsenal and his status in the squad as a leader has only grown throughout the season.

Martin Odegaard is Arsenal’s permanent captain, bringing an end to a series of botched appointments, but he will not wear the armband for Saturday’s trip to Leicester City.

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Arsenal confirmed with a club statement Zinchenko had been given the captain’s armband as a nod to the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The statement reads: „Alex Zinchenko is our captain today, as a mark of respect and love on the first anniversary of the conflict in Ukraine.“

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Ukrainians. Countries around the world have imposed sanctions on Russia, with the United States doing so recently to mark the one-year anniversary.

Zinchenko previously spoke of the devastating effect of Russia’s invasion in May 2022 before Ukraine’s World Cup playoff fixture against Scotland.

„Every Ukrainian wants one thing – to stop this war,“ Zinchenko said. „I have spoken with people from all around the world, from different countries, and also some Ukrainian kids, who just don’t understand what is happening back in Ukraine.

„They only want the war to stop. They have one dream – to stop the war. When it comes to football, the Ukrainian team have their own dream: we want to go to the World Cup. We want to give incredible emotions to the Ukrainian people because Ukrainians deserve it so much at this very moment.“

He was also hearted by news of Scotland fans singing the Ukrainian anthem in solidarity, adding: „We have to be together, we have to fight Russian aggression, we have to defeat that evil. So this is an amazing, amazing initiative.“