The conundrum facing Shakhtar Donetsk’s hierarchy was that Mykhailo Mudryk had, for a player of his age, barely been given any oxygen at the top level. It was the summer of 2021 and his previous two managers, Paulo Fonseca and Luís Castro, had not been convinced enough to give him a run. In the club’s boardroom Mudryk was seen as a player who could win the Ballon d’Or; on the training pitch he was routinely viewed as fast, immensely skilful but raw and unpredictable. His 20th birthday had long since passed but he had only made seven appearances for Shakhtar and a further 21 on loan. He was yet to score a senior goal.
In Roberto De Zerbi, who asks the bold to be even bolder, Shakhtar found the coach who could harness a talent that needed some love. It took only a few viewings for the Italian to be convinced, and to tell the player he had his trust. De Zerbi had already given Mudryk two starts in the league when, with Shakhtar on the point of losing their Champions League playoff against Monaco, he called him from the bench. Mudryk had eight minutes plus extra time to make a difference: he terrorised the Ligue 1 club from the left flank and it was his direct influence, another sparkling run bringing a cross that clipped Ruben Aguilar before looping in, that propelled his side back to the group stage.
