Russian great Valery Gazzayev says West Ham United midfielder Andrey Yarmolenko failed to live up to his potential due to the lack of a defensive game.
Yarmolenko is in his second season at the Hammers, where his time in London has been dominated by injury.
Gazzayev told Sport-Express: Football players must have all the relevant skills.
"I recall one more example from my own practice. When I headed Dynamo Kyiv, I put Yarmolenko in the first training camp as a deep defender. I saw in him the good attacking qualities of a strong flank striker, although at that time Yarmolenko was considered a centre-forward. And it was important for me the football player mastered the defensive skills that the extreme striker needed.
"Yarmolenko himself, I remember, expressed bewilderment: 'Valery you're probably mixed up, I'm a striker!' I answered in an astonished look: 'What are you?!'
"But in fact I needed him to feel what a game is in defence and how to perform defensive functions. I can say that if Yarmolenko had as strong defensive skills as attacking, he would become a world superstar."
