Craig Burley thinks Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has a lot of talent but says there is one area of his game that he has to improve.
Mykhailo Mudryk has shown glimpses of his quality this season, but Craig Burley has warned the 22-year-old that he will not be judged on that.
The former Chelsea midfielder was discussing Mudryk on ESPN FC.
The Ukrainian was definitely one of the Blues’ better players in their recent 2-0 loss to Everton.
He gave Ashley Young a torrid time with his pace and dribbling before the 38-year-old was taken off but was unable to score a goal or create one, which has often been his problem since arriving in England.
Craig Burley wants to see Mykhailo Mudryk improve his end product
Burley has warned Mudryk that talent alone is not enough and that he has to start adding more goals and assists to his game.
Speaking on ESPN FC, he said: “Mykhailo Mudryk has got a talent. But until he figures out that he’ll be judged on the end product in the final third, then he’s got a problem, because he’s got all the pace in the world, he’s got a lot of tricks, he can drop a shoulder, he’ll outsprint you, but there’s no point in doing that and getting the crowd on their feet, off the chair when you get to the end zone and you shank it out of bounds or you just pick the wrong pass out.”
Mykhailo Mudryk needs to do more in the final third
Mudryk’s productivity in attack certainly needs to go up. Since arriving in the Premier League, he has scored just two goals in 29 appearances.
That output is not enough for a forward with his talent and cost the amount of money that he did.
It is important to remember that Mudryk is still quite young at 22 and has not been in England for too long.
Nevertheless, until he starts making a real difference in the final third, the Ukraine international will continue to be criticised by pundits, such as talkSPORT’s Jeff Stelling, who does not understand why Mauricio Pochettino keeps playing him.
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