CSKA Moscow snap up Ilya Shkurin

The Russian Premier League’s youngest squad, CSKA Moscow, has been bolstered by the signing of 20-year-old Belarusian striker Ilya Shkurin. The forward was the top goalscorer in the Vysheyshaya Liga in 2019, scoring 19 goals in 26 games for Energetik-BGU Minsk.

With the loan of Takuma Nishimura to Portuguese side Portimonense, the only backup to leading striker was 19-year-old Malian Lassana N’Diaye, who is yet to make a first-team appearance. Shkurin hasn’t made his full international debut yet but has scored once in six matches for the Belarus under-21s.

Shkurin joins eight of his fellow countrymen to make the joint-largest group of foreigners in the RPL. Seven of them have arrived in the last 12 months since Belarus nationals were no longer counted against the foreigner limit.