Written by Football Talk.
Chelsea’s Yuri Zhirkov has thrown his future into doubt after admitting he is finding it increasingly difficult sitting on the bench.
The Russian can play at either left-back or left midfield but currently finds himself behind first team regulars Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda. The 27-year-old moved to Stamford Bridge last summer from CSKA Moscow in an £18m deal, but a series of injuries have hampered his chances of replacing either Cole or Malouda in the Chelsea first team.
Zhirkov was linked with a transfer back to his homeland this summer with both Spartak Moscow and Zenit St. Petersburg linked with a move. However, nothing materialised and now the player is keen to take advantage of any chance that comes his way in the next few months and then re-evaluate his situation in the winter.
“I’ll certainly get a chance in the next few months and I’ll try to use it completely,” he said.
“Then, in the winter, everything will probably depend on whether I got this chance and how I used it.
“We are currently in brilliant form and getting past Malouda and Cole is problematic. Everyone understands about the competition: once you are on the bench you can be there for a long time. But I will definitely get a chance.
“The thoughts when you are watching your team play are always the same: you support, worry and your soul wants to be on the pitch to help.”
