Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin has backed the struggling Mykhailo Mudryk to hit top gear and warned the Blues they risk making a huge mistake if they were to cut their losses.
Mudryk, 22, joined Chelsea in January in a deal worth £88.5million from Shakhtar Donetsk but the Ukrainian winger has struggled to adjust to life at Stamford Bridge, with him yet to score for the club nine months after arriving.
Chelsea beat Arsenal to the signing of Mudryk after the Gunners had been heavily linked with him throughout the transfer window before the Blues’ bid blew the Gunners out of the water. But despite a miserable beginning to life in England that has brought criticism from fans and pundits alike, Nevin has warned the club against making any rash decisions on his future.
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Speaking to OLBG, Nevin said he fears Mudryk possibly ending in a Mohamed Salah or Kevin De Bruyne transfer mistake for Chelsea, with both leaving the Blues and becoming two of the league’s best players at Liverpool and Manchester City respectively.
Nevin said: “Mykhailo Mudryk is phenomenal and will come good – Chelsea cannot risk him being another Salah or De Bruyne There's a reason why Arsenal wanted Mudryk – he's phenomenal. His pace is ridiculous and so are his skills.
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“He had different problems to everyone else as he was a Ukrainian lad coming into a new country. There was also a massive transfer fee hanging over him, though the pressure is slightly off now due to the other fees Chelsea have paid.
“I think he has the potential to be a great forward and a great creator. He came into a side that wasn't playing well, but he didn't make it easy for himself. His numbers last season were not good.
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“I always look at the underlying player and I don't think Chelsea want to lose him. Chelsea know better than anyone that if you let a player go, they can be world-class somewhere else.
“He came in in January, which is a tough time for players to arrive. It's early days this season, and I still have great hopes for Mudryk when the team starts clicking. That could be later this season or next season. He has all the qualities that defenders hate playing against.
“If Chelsea did cut their losses, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him shine somewhere else. He's still only 22. You'd expect him, and a lot of other Chelsea players, to start finding their best form.
“The problem is, you have so many players who aren't at their peak yet, and that's why you need experienced players like Thiago Silva or Ben Chilwell to help the team gel. It's just not clicking as well as everybody at the club would have hoped.”
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