Mykhaylo Mudryk has been warned that he needs to start next season strongly or faces being axed by Mauricio Pochettino early into the Argentine’s reign at Chelsea. Following Mudryk’s £87.5million January move to Stamford Bridge, he struggled to impress Graham Potter and then Frank Lampard while falling down the pecking order.
Having failed to score in any of his first 15 Premier League appearances, concerns have been raised over whether Mudryk will be able to live up to his price tag. Pochettino has inherited a bloated squad and though plans are well underway to trim it, Mudryk is likely to begin the new season with plenty of competition for his spot.
So far he has only featured on the left wing and currently has the likes of Raheem Sterling, Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount for competition, though the latter two are likely to depart before the window slams shut in September. Former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson has backed Mudryk to improve in his second season, but worries that he will not have much time to impress before he is cast aside.
Johnson told Betfred: “Overall, I’ve been unimpressed. However, sometimes it takes certain players more time to adapt than others. I still believe that Mykhaylo has a lot to give and he looks like he’s going to threaten a lot, but he just doesn’t do a lot.
Mykhaylo Mudryk has been warned that he needs a strong start to the season. (Image: Getty)
“Once he gets used to the Premier League and what the team needs him to do, then he’s certainly got the attributes to be very dangerous. I don’t believe he will be given much more time to impress at Chelsea, so he needs to hit the ground running when the new season begins in August.”
Pochettino will have been impressed with Mudryk’s attitude before even working with him, however, as the winger has made himself available for Ukraine’s under-21 team in this summer’s European Championships. He is yet to be selected but the decision is thought to have earned some good faith with Pochettino and the Chelsea staff.
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He is undoubtedly eager to return to the form that prompted the Blues to splash their cash in a bidding war with Arsenal, likely well aware of messages such as those from Johnson that Pochettino will not tolerate a continuation of his form from the second half of last season.
Chelsea will find out their opening fixtures today and Mudryk will have to target the first few games in order to win over Pochettino, though his decision to play for Ukraine U21s will not have done him any harm.
The competition’s final takes place on July 8, meaning he would still have some time off before Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the United States if Ukraine did go all the way to the final game - another boost for Mudryk as he hopes to heed Johnson’s warning.