Mykhailo Mudryk’s start to his career in England has been disappointing, following his transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk to Chelsea for a hefty fee of £88.5m in January.
Unfortunately, his struggles have continued while playing for the Ukraine national team.
Despite being only 22 years old, he has not yet managed to score a goal for Chelsea, and his playing time has been limited due to the impressive depth of talent available in the squad, which is managed by Graham Potter.
With his struggles at Chelsea, Mykhailo Mudryk might have viewed the international break as a relief from the difficulties of the club’s season.
However, his performance in Ukraine’s Euro 2024 qualifier against England on Sunday was forgettable.
Despite being considered Ukraine’s most innovative player, Mudryk made little impact on the game at Wembley Stadium.
His sole noteworthy involvement came when he unintentionally obstructed a shot from his teammate, Ruslan Malinovskyi, in the first half – a moment that epitomized the player’s current form.
Speaking to talkSPORTat half-time, former England international Stuart Pearce scolded Mudryk for having ‘done nothing in the game’ and urged interim Ukraine coach Ruslan Rotan to switch him over from the left onto the right-wing as he was losing out to England full-back Kyle Walker in every exchange.
Despite not following the advice, Rotan decided to substitute Mudryk for Girona’s Viktor Tsygankov just after the hour mark.
Gareth Southgate’s team eventually secured a comfortable 2-0 win with two rapid goals toward the end of the first half.
The opening goal was scored by Harry Kane for the Three Lions in the 37th minute, followed shortly by a fantastic strike from Bukayo Saka that doubled the hosts’ lead.
Gerrard: ‘Mudryk was really disappointing’
While it was a fabulous finish from Saka, ex-England midfielder Steven Gerrard took issue with Mudryk’s efforts in the build-up to the goal.
“From a Ukraine point of view, it’s fantastic play from England as they open the pitch up, but you would be really disappointed if you’re the coach with Mudryk,” Gerrard explained when working as a pundit for UK broadcaster, Channel 4,per The Mirror.
Mykhailo Mudryk vs England by numbers:
61 minutes ⏳
0 shots on target ❌
0 fouls won ❌
0 chances created ❌
0 passes into opposition box ❌
4 dispossessions ❌
1/2 dribbles completed 😬
1/8 ground duels won 😬 pic.twitter.com/f3faNht6o6— Barstool Football (@StoolFootball) March 26, 2023
During his time on the pitch, the Chelsea player failed to create any chances or attempt a shot at the goal.
His inability to successfully dribble and not win any fouls is a matter of concern for both Chelsea and Ukraine supporters.
Despite this, there is still hope that Mudryk can fulfill his potential and justify his enormous transfer fee, as he signed an eight-and-a-half-year contract with Chelsea.