On the eve of the match with Red Star at the PARI Cup, the head coach of Zenit Sergey Semak spoke about the situation with midfielder Wendel.

Earlier, the specialist said that the club allowed the Brazilian to look for a new team.

Zenit will meet Red Star on July 4 in the PARI Premier Cup match, which also involves Fenerbahce Istanbul and Neftchi Baku.

– Do you discuss the current situation with Wendel and are you in touch with him in general?

– All contacts go through the management. Alexander Ivanovich Medvedev is in touch with the player’s representatives, this is completely under the control of the club.

– Won’t you worry that Wendel will not find a club, will return conditionally on August 1 and will be out of shape?

– No. We will have those who are ready to play. Those who are in the best condition always play. Each player is the creator of his life and his future.

– There are only two days between the matches with Neftchi and Red Star at the PARI Premier Cup tournament. What was the recovery plan?

– He is not. Because there is no time to recover and waste precious time preparing for the season. First of all, we are preparing for the official games. In tournament games, it is necessary to dose the time based on the condition of the players. We work taking into account the fact that matches are superimposed on general training.

– Is it possible to draw a conclusion from these matches on which of the goalkeepers you will bet on this season?

– There are two more matches that will give food for thought. We will give playing time to all goalkeepers, and who will start the season, we will make a decision later. At the same time, we look not only at matches, but also at training. We will make a decision when we play more matches.

— What can you say about Red Star?

– The opponent is very interesting. Serbian champion, Champions League participant, impressive phenomenal streak, new coach. An interesting, difficult match awaits us. Now we are focusing more on understanding the requirements, adapting to workloads and getting in shape. Therefore, our good matches can alternate with not so good ones. The main thing is to approach the season in good condition, and gain a playing tone by this time.

– Will Kovalenko play in the tournament and what impression does he make?

I hope we will see him at the tournament. According to his condition, he missed a lot, and therefore it is difficult for him now to get used to the loads. And our requirements. The guy is very talented and promising. We are waiting for him to get into condition as soon as possible, which will allow him to play. And his qualities are visible, we know them, – quotes the words of Semak “Match TV”.

Watch the live broadcast of the meeting from 19:00 (Moscow time) on the Match TV and MATCH PREMIER channels. The starting whistle will sound at 19:30.

PARI Premier Cup. Red Star – Zenit