Mykola Kuharevich | It is an honour to play for Swansea City, I will give it my all

Mykola Kuharevich says he is honoured to have the chance to play for Swansea City, and is looking forward to showing the Jack Army exactly what he is about.

The 22-year-old Ukrainian striker has joined on a three-year contract – with the option for an additional 12 months – from French club Troyes, subject to international clearance.

The Swans new number 19 came through the youth ranks in his homeland with FC Volyn Lutsk, before moving to top-flight side Rukh Lviv where he scored four goals in 24 league appearances before making his move to Troyes, who are part of the City Football Group, in 2021.

Kuharevich made his debut for the French club against Ligue 1 giants PSG, and went on to spend 14 months on loan with Belgian club OH Leuven.

Another loan move to Hibernian followed last season, where the 6ft 4in striker scored five goals in 15 appearances for the Easter Road side, despite missing part of the campaign with a knee injury.

Now he has arrived in SA1 to add to Michael Duff’s forward options, and having grown up watching the Swans playing in the Premier League, he has no doubt about the size of the club he has joined.

“My impressions of the club are so good. I’m so happy to be here, it’s such a big club and it’s an honour to be here,” he said.

“Everything looks nice, the facilities are good, I think it’s a nice place to work.

“It’s a big club, only five years ago they were in the Premier League. People who watch football will know about this about this club so I’m happy to be here.

“I spoke to the manager before I came here. It was a good conversation. It was important for me to speak to him before to see how I’m going to fit in, but that went well and I’m happy to be here.

“I think it’s a top place to develop both as a player and as a team. For me, I just want to be successful here, do my best every day and help the team to reach our goals and of course, as a striker, I want to score as much as I can.

“I think football in this country suits me. The physical side suits me, but also clubs in the UK have unbelievable fans. They always push you and encourage you and this helps you play to your best and get your best results.

“But I don’t like to talk about myself as a player really. I just want to show what I can do on the pitch and in the games. I’ll leave it for the fans to decide.”

Kuharevich, who hails from the village of Udrytsk on the border with Belarus and has represented his country at under-21 level, has been playing his football in France, Belgium and Scotland while war has raged in his homeland following Russia’s invasion.

That conflict, which has been ongoing for 524 days, has been widely condemned by the international community.

And Kuharevich spoke of the difficulty of being away from home at such a difficult time.

“It’s so difficult to be away from home. You are always thinking about the situation in Ukraine, thinking about how it’s going and you read the news,” he said.

“I just want to say that the war is still going, it’s not over. Everyone in the world has to stop it as fast as possible to allow people in Ukraine to just live normally.

“I really appreciate the UK and Welsh Government for supporting the Ukrainian people.

“They are countries who have helped a lot, and me and all Ukrainians really appreciate that. It’s a second home for me and many people here.”