02 April 2023 , 10:00
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Mykhaylo Mudryk is still struggling to find his feet at Chelsea and club legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink perhaps gave the most damning indictment after the £87million's signing sitter against Aston Villa.
The Blues lost 2-0 at home to a resurgent Villa on Saturday, with goals from Ollie Watkins and John McGinn either side of half-time seeing off Graham Potter's men, who were booed off by their own supporters at Stamford Bridge. Mudryk, 22, could've equalised in the first half, but missed a golden opportunity to level the scores with what would've been his long-awaited first goal in Chelsea colours.
After Blues midfielder Mateo Kovacic played a precise through ball into the path of the Ukrainian wonderkid, Mudryk could only fire a tame shot straight at Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who made a comfortable save. The former Shakhtar Donetsk star, who penned a huge eight-year contract in January, should've done better or at least passed to team-mate Kai Havertz for a simple tap-in.
Ex-Chelsea striker Hasselbaink suggested that Mudryk's miss could be put down to lacking experience when it comes to one-on-one goalscoring opportunities, a concerning claim given how much the Blues paid for him in the January transfer window. "He needs to square it to Havertz," Hasselbaink affirmed on Sky Sports.
"If he squares it, it is 100 per cent a goal. Chelsea have created here again, you can see he is not used to getting these kind of chances. He needs to take an extra touch and then take his time because he had so much time."
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Unfortunately for Mudryk, he didn't have much time to make amends as he was hooked by under-fire boss Potter in place of fellow January signing Noni Madueke before the hour mark. The Ukraine international has made just 72 senior appearances in his young career, meaning that Chelsea fans will have to be patient as he learns his trade in West London.
Have your say! Will Mudryk prove his doubters wrong? Join the debate in the comments section.
Mykhaylo Muydryk should've made it 1-1 against Aston Villa but fluffed his lines (Clive Rose/Getty Images)That won't stop criticism surrounding his place tag, however, with the Blues gazumping London rivals Arsenal to win the hotly-contested race for Mudryk's signature. Last week, he faced England at Wembley on international duty and was slammed by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard for his role in Bukayo Saka's first-half strike after failing to close the Three Lions winger down.
"You would be really disappointed if you're the coach with Mudryk," Gerrard told Channel 4. "With all due respect he is still learning the game but you know that you need to keep Saka on his right foot, you can't allow him to come in on that left foot because it's a wand and he gets it right on the money."
The 22-year-old will be hoping to quickly silence his critics when Chelsea face Liverpool on Tuesday in a huge clash for both of the struggling sides' European hopes. Potter's Blues, now without a win from their last two Premier League home fixtures, are in the bottom half of the table and have 10 games to salvage a respectable finish.