TalkSPORT pundit makes claim about Mykhailo Mudryk after watching Chelsea this week

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Mykhailo Mudryk got his first minutes for Chelsea since the start of September in this week’s cup success against League Two club Barrow.

Chelsea thrashed Barrow 5-0 on Tuesday night in the third round of the Carabao Cup. Next, the Blues know they’ll travel to either AFC Wimbledon or Newcastle United in the fourth round.

Mykhailo Mudryk, 23, was recalled to the starting line-up for the midweek cup tie after back-to-back Premier League matches where he’s been an unused substitute.

The Ukrainian left-winger played the full 90 minutes as he attempted to impress Enzo Maresca.

Mudryk certainly delivered a game of two halves against Barrow. While the fast attacker was quiet in the opening 45 minutes, he came alive with a very positive second-half and even assisted one goal with a clever pass.

• READ MORE: How Chelsea owner Behdad Eghbal feels about Blues winger Mykhailo Mudryk

Mykhailo Mudryk definitely has quality

TalkSPORT pundit Andy Jacobs insists that there’s still a great player in Mudryk after watching his latest Chelsea display this week.

“Mudryk, he was brilliant. I know it’s Barrow, but there’s a player in there. There definitely is. His decision-making was great,” Jacobs told talkSPORT (2:08pm, 25 September).

We agree that Mudryk showed a few flashes of brilliance in his Carabao Cup appearance, but let’s remember it was against an opposition in the fourth tier. He’s still got a mountain to climb to justify his £89m (BBC) price tag.

The challenge for Mykhailo Mudryk

Mudryk appears to have slipped down the pecking order this season under Maresca, so can he force his way back into Chelsea’s best line-up by impressing in various cup competitions?

The rapid wide man has been too inconsistent with his end product throughout his Blues career so far. Therefore, you can understand why he’s out of favour right now.

Here is a look at Mudryk’s statistics as a Chelsea player…

Jadon Sancho may have possession of Chelsea’s starting left wing spot in the league right now, while versatile attackers Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku can also play out there.

For Mudryk, he’s got to try make an impact with any minutes he gets on the pitch. The best way he can do that is by being direct and exploiting his physical attributes rather than being cautious on the ball.