The pressure is mounting on Mauricio Pochettino to get the best out of £88.5million signing Mykhaylo Mudryk after a laboured start to life at Stamford Bridge. Mudryk has yet to score for Chelsea in a competitive game despite the faith placed in him by his manager, who may be forced to make a ruthless decision in January if he isn’t firing on all cylinders by then.
Chelsea aren’t traditionally a particularly patient club as can be seen from their long list of managers over the years and club executives may demand that Mudryk be sent out on loan to continue his development elsewhere if he is unable to hit the ground running for the west Londoners.
Yet Pochettino is confident the Ukrainian winger will come good eventually and has seen some positive signs both and off the pitch to suggest this will be the case.
“He is quite unique. I think it is a good challenge for him and for [the coaching staff],” said Pochettino. “Misha is a very talented player but you need to go with him very slowly. [It’s] cultural and everything is completely different to [how we] Latin people [are].
“He is now trying to be more open and trying to adapt and be more involved in every single situation, not only on the field, off the field also and he is making a massive effort to try and integrate himself and understand better what it means to play like a team.”
But Pochettino is playing a dangerous game by relying on Mudryk despite his less-than-satisfactory performances. Admittedly, he has been left with little choice due to injuries affecting his options. But if the January signing does not pick up his level, his manager is at risk.
There are some promising signs though, which will encourage the ex-Tottenham boss. Mudryk is putting in the work behind the scenes and is determined to reach his full potential. An unnamed Chelsea player told the Daily Mail: “He is trying so hard, it is like he is in the gym every hour of the day.”
Clearly, the youngster’s spirits have not been dampened by his poor run of form and all of his recent interviews suggest he is hungrier than ever. Mudryk compared his situation to that of Real Madrid star Vincius Jr, who took a few seasons to adjust to life in Spain after moving from Flamengo in 2018.
The Brazilian superstar is now ranked among the best players in the world and Mudryk feels he carries the same potential. “My level? Look at Vinicius in his first season at Real Madrid, and look now,” said the former Shakhtar Donetsk star. “Players need time to show their level after moving from one country to another country.” Pochettino has to hope the player proves his doubters wrong.
