Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Sergiy Palkin has sensationally claimed that Chelsea have ‘the most talented and unique player in the world’ in Mykhailo Mudryk.
Despite flashes of brilliance, Mudryk, 23, has badly struggled to live up to expectations after completing a £62million transfer to Stamford Bridge, a record fee for both Shakhtar and the Ukrainian Premier League.
In an underwhelming first six months in English football, Mudryk failed to score a single goal for the Blues in any competition and the winger has hardly set the world alight this term – netting just three times in the Premier League.
It’s some fall from grace for the Ukraine international, who racked up 12 goals and 17 assists in 44 games for Shakhtar, numbers which made him one of the most sought-after young players in world football.
The speedster’s last start for Chelsea came over a month ago in the side’s 6-1 win over Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup, when he made no goal contributions and was substituted at half-time by Mauricio Pochettino.
Bayern Munich failed with a last-ditch move to sign Mudryk in the January transfer window and there have been reports that the forward now regrets putting pen to paper on an eight-and-a-half year deal in west London.
However, Palkin, who knows Mudryk well from their time together at Shakhtar, is hopeful his fellow countryman will come good as long as Chelsea ‘invest’ and give him a chance of turning his fortunes around.
‘I can tell you that, for me, Mudryk is the most talented and unique player in the world,’ Palkin told beIN SPORTS.
‘I believe that in order to get the maximum from Mudryk, as they anticipate, you need to invest in him. And these investments are not money.
‘The investment is time with the coaching staff to communicate with him and to work closely with him.’
According to Palkin, Mudryk could be ‘four or five times’ the player if Chelsea’s coaching staff dedicate serious time to helping the Ukrainian fulfil his undoubted potential.
‘He is a young boy and he changed from the Ukrainian Championship for the English Premier League,’ he added.
‘It’s a completely different world, with completely different levels, with football that’s completely different.
‘I believe that if the coaching staff dedicates some time to him, he will return three, four or five times more.’
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