Position: Defender
Born: 24.02.85
Club: Dynamo Kiev

Olexander Yatsenko was called up to the 23-man Ukrainian World Cup squad to replace the injured Serhiy Federov.

The youngster is a product of the FC Dynamo Kiev academy and made his debut for the Ukranian giants in 2003. However his progress was hampered and he was loaned out last season to FC Kharkiv where he enjoyed a successful campaign.

Yatsenko played a major role in helping Ukraine reach the UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals as well as playing in the 2004 UEFA European Under-19 Championships where Ukraine reached the semi-final stages.

Yatsenko is of the most highly-rated defenders in his country and made the step up to senior level in October 2005, making his international debut in a 1-0 victory against Japan.

The strong defender, who can play anywhere in the back four, has a bright future in the game and will be looking to gain some vital experience in Germany.