Mykhailo Mudryk has proven that he's ready to play the 'Son Heung-min role' under Mauricio Pochettino following his impressive performance for Ukraine in the Under-21 European Championships quarter-final. Despite having shown flashes of brilliance, the 22-year-old winger struggled to impress in his debut Premier League campaign.
While Mudryk is yet to score his first goal for Chelsea, he only ever completed 90 minutes in the English top-flight once. Starting just seven games and being brought off the bench in eight, the Ukraine international was denied the chance to build any momentum.
After struggling to find his feet, Mudryk has worked tremendously hard this summer to ensure that he's ready to compete for a place in Pochettino's starting lineup. The winger took the decision to represent his country in the Under-21 European Championships in order to recapture his best form in time for the new season.
His decision to do so – which has paid off thus far – followed a pair of impressive performances for the senior side where he picked up three assists against Germany and Malta. After nursing a minor knock, Mudryk was thrown into the Ukraine Under-21s starting lineup against France in the quarter-final.
The Blues ace recorded two excellent assists, and he'll now prepare to lock horns with Spain in the semi-final on July 5. Mudryk's magnificent performance against one of the tournament favourites proves exactly why he's worthy of specialist management from Pochettino.
He'll be hoping to undergo a similar transformation to Son Heung-min, who quickly became one of Europe's most dangerous wingers under the former Tottenham boss. In an interview with the Daily Mail in 2018, the South Korea international recalled the instructions from Pochettino that elevated his performances.
Son said: "He has encouraged that (running) in me. Football is about scoring and if you want to do that, you have to go forward. That is what he wants me to do. I don't want to do difficult things, just go straight.
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"When I first joined I was not like this. The gaffer taught me a lot about my movement and off the ball, I have changed a lot. It's difficult to say what he was thinking in that meeting.
"It doesn't matter now. I am just really happy I am still here. He has made things better. I am really thankful."
