Sheva offered a rest by Ukraine

Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin has revealed that Andriy Shevchenko will not be put under pressure to feature in the friendly with Israel next month.

The 30-year-old Chelsea striker has endured a miserable season at club level, and along with Andriy Voronin, will not be expected to make the trip on February 7.

Blokhin said: “Shevchenko and Voronin are among the list of candidates (for the squad), but they can decide themselves.

“They don’t need to prove anything and if they don’t travel to Israel, we’ll look at other players.”