Ukrainian star Andriy Yarmolenko has opened up on the turmoil he and his family have endured in recent weeks with the star struggling to focus on football amid ’s invasion of his homeland.
The 32-year-old’s family were in when Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of the neighbouring country while Yarmolenko was training at West Ham.
He’s now revealed he felt enormous guilt after sending his family to Kyiv for a doctor’s appointment and asked to allow him to leave training to focus on their wellbeing.
‘When it all started, on February 24, I arrived at training and couldn’t even talk. I had tears flowing. I asked the coach to let me go home,’ he told Ukrainian YouTube channel .
‘I didn’t believe this could happen. I sent my family to Kyiv because my child had to have a doctor’s appointment.
‘Can you imagine what I was like when it started the next morning? I just wanted to run and hit my head against a wall. What a fool I was sending my family to Kyiv and I am sitting in London.’
Yarmolenko was given time off by West Ham to help secure his family’s safety and they have now returned to England after fleeing via Poland.
The winger has also returned to playing for the Hammers and which led to emotional scenes at the London Stadium.
He followed that up with another goal in the 2-0 win over Sevilla to ensure the Hammers reached the last-eight of the Europa League, but Yarmolenko admits even though football is a distraction for him, he can’t switch off from the ongoing conflict in his homeland.
‘David Moyes told me I could choose to train or not and that I had to do everything I could to ensure the safety of my family,’ he added.
‘I needed to remain professional so I returned. I was just going crazy and you need to be distracted. But even now, I don’t know what the other results are. It is just training ends and then the phone calls home.
‘It is honestly scary to talk about it. We have to help each other. If we do not then no one will.
‘I am sure we will not be beaten by any country. No one will ever be able to break our spirit.’
, .
,  and .
