Since signing for £88.5million in January, Mykhailo Mudryk’s Chelsea career has failed to hit the heights his hefty price tag may have promised. The Ukraine international’s first six appearances for Graham Potter’s side - none of which saw 90 minute outings - brought no goal contributions.
Those six games also coincided with a worrying spell of form for the entire side, having drawn three and lost three during that time, while just one goal was scored in the 1-1 draw against West Ham. As such, Mudryk took the role of an unused substitute for Chelsea’s next game against Leeds United, which the hosts won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.
The 22-year-old was given a watching brief once more in the following match against Borussia Dortmund, with the Blues making it back-to-back wins for the first time since mid-October. According to journalist Simon Phillips on his Substack, Potter has held ‘private conversations’ with Mudyrk to explain his recent stint on the sidelines.
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The head coach’s man-management skills are likely to be a crucial part of his Chelsea tenure, as the club’s seemingly-bloated squad will result in numerous stars being given disappointing selection news. Mudryk’s rapid rise will have meant he won’t be used to not starting games - let alone not receiving any minutes - so Potter has aimed to ensure this won’t have negatively affected the recent arrival.
The former Brighton boss has chosen to take the Ukrainian out of the limelight as he continues to adapt to a whole new environment. In his place, the attacking trio of Joao Felix, Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz led the line for both matches, with the latter two scoring on Tuesday.
Competition remains fierce in this area of the pitch, with the likes of Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech also competing for similar positions.
However, there is hope for a triumphant return when the time is right for Mudryk. Tuesday’s huge Champions League win against Dortmund saw the heavily-criticised Marc Cucurella reinstated into the starting line-up.
Despite supporters being less than impressed with the defender since his big-money move in the summer, Cucurella “delivered a top performance", in the words of Potter, and gave the manager a real conundrum moving forward given his confidence-boosting display. This followed a similar lack of playing minutes that Mudryk will currently be experiencing, and offers a light at the end of the tunnel for out-of-favour players.
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