A wonderkid who was once named as one of football's top prospects is now without a club at the age of 28.
In 2015, Gazzetta dello Sport published a list of football's top 50 wonderkids, headlined by the likes of Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Ruben Neves.
Some players in the top 10, namely Alen Halilovic and Gerson, didn't exactly go on to achieve football stardom, but Gazzetta's list was largely filled with players who did make the grade.
In 35th place was Shakhtar Donetsk attacking midfielder Viktor Kovalenko, who had recently made his first team ebut and became the Golden Boot winner at the 2015 U20 World Cup.
Advert
UEFA's official website profiled him as one of the world's top wonderkids, and Shakhtar general director Sergei Palkin stated: "Foreign clubs have a continued interest in him. However, we're not going to sell regardless of what offers we receive."
Kovalenko was already a Champions League regular in the 2015/16 season, making seven appearances for Shakhtar.
But his breakout season came the following year, when he netted 10 goals in all competitions as well as two assists.
Advert
In 2018, Kovalenko lined up for Ukraine U21 against England, in a starting XI which contained future Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin and current Roma star Artem Dobvyk.
The midfielder himself would earn a move to one of Europe's top five leagues some time later, signing for Serie A club Atalanta in January 2021.
He was identified as a replacement for Atalanta icon Papu Gomez, who had left the club to sign for Sevilla, and joined for just €700,000.
But after just one appearance, Kovalenko was loaned out to fellow Serie A side Spezia for the following two seasons, and spent the 2023/24 season at Empoli where he played 17 times - mostly from the bench - and showed flashes of brilliance.
Advert
In August of last year, Atalanta released the now 28-year-old from his contract to enable him to find another club.
But Kovalenko is still without a club, with journalist Mykhailo Spivakovsky claiming that he rejected offers from clubs in Turkey and Poland to continue his career.
Advert
Spivakovsky told 'TaToTake': "Viktor is very selective regarding the proposals he receives. He declined offers from Turkey and certain clubs in Europe, but opportunities are available.
"The priority remains Serie A, not Serie C. He is no longer considered a foreign player in Italy ... of course, he would like to stay there. Theoretically, other European clubs could be options as well."
He was also considered as an option to replace compatriot Ruslan Malinovskyi at Genoa after the midfielder suffered a serious injury.
Aside from those links, there has been little to report in regards to the 28-year-old's next steps.
Advert
Most European windows are now shut, so while teams can still sign free agents, it is perhaps unlikely that he will find a new club in a major league.
One window that is now open, however, is in Major League Soccer, with MLS clubs having until April 23 to submit their squads before the Primary Transfer Window closes.
Ryan Smart