Paul Merson thinks Mykhailo Mudryk has had an absolutely awful start to his Chelsea career.
Mudryk, who signed from Shakhtar Donetsk last month, has arrived at Stamford Bridge with a lot of pressure on his young shoulders.
The 22-year-old winger could end up costing the Blues as much as £89million (BBC), so all eyes are on him to see if he can improve a struggling forward line.
His club debut against Liverpool in the Premier League, which was a 35-minute cameo off the bench, was electric. Even Steven Gerrard raved about the attacker’s performance at Anfield.
However, his attacking return is zero goals and zero assists in his first five Chelsea appearances.
Sky Sports pundit Merson has delivered a fairly firm assessment on Mudryk’s introduction to English football.
He definitely thinks the Ukraine international has underperformed so far in Chelsea colours.
“They brought Mykhailo Mudryk for £88m and, bar a cameo of 20 minutes, he’s shown nothing. I mean nothing. You wouldn’t expect to need time to settle in at that price,” Merson told Sky Sports.
Yes, Mudryk hasn’t quite looked at his very sharpest in recent weeks. The team desperately needs him to start contributing with end product, too.
It’s definitely worth pointing out that he didn’t play a lot of football over the winter months, though.
He’s been getting up to speed in a new country and is competing in a huge Graham Potter squad, so it’s definitely a time for supporters to get behind him.
If you want to make yourself an instant favourite, a winning goal this weekend against Tottenham would do the trick.
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