Chelsea misfit Mykhaylo Mudryk was the toast of Blues fans after his eye-catching performance for Ukraine at the under-21 Euros.
The winger helped his nation into the semi-finals of the competition on Sunday with his two assists key to a surprise 3-1 victory over France. He at first won a penalty as he strung together a mazy run before being fouled by AC Milan defender Pierre Kalulu.
Georgiy Sudakov fired home for Ukraine to level matters after Rayan Cherki’s opening strike. Mudryk doubled his evening’s work with another assist as he expertly picked out Sudakov with an excellent long-ball, the Shakhtar forward scoring once more.
Artem Bondarenko then rounded off the scoring late on as Ukraine’s surprise victory was rubber-stamped. It was certainly a different feeling for Mudryk.
The 22-year-old winger only experienced two victories during his first six months with Chelsea following his £88m move from Shakhtar. He also struggled to have much of an impact on the pitch with just two assists and no goals in that time.
Some Blues fans took to Twitter to express their delight with their January signing. One supporter wrote: “Said it before and I’m saying it again. Mudryk is going to be a superstar man..”
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Another agreed with that sentiment with another big prediction. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the EPL player of the season for 2023/2024 Mykhailo Mudryk,” they wrote.
Another fan said: “Mudryk cooking is a beautiful sight. I’m rooting for this man to succeed.”
Speaking after his standout display and his nation’s victory, the Chelsea star said: “Yes, we knew what we needed to do in the second half and we clearly did it and that’s why we won. I’m really happy for our country because our country deserves it and we will go for our next stage and we will give everything for it.”
Mudryk’s showing ironically came only hours after former Ukraine international Oleksandr Aliyev hit out at the way he has been unnecessarily hyped up following his January move to Stamford Bridge. However, he did concede that Mudryk has the quality to become one of Ukraine’s best players should he continue his upward trajectory.
Speaking with Gazeta, Aliyev said: “So, a star, you made him - journalists and correspondents, first of all. Mudryk is not a star and not the leader of the national team.
“He came to Chelsea, so what? Does he play? No, he doesn't. It's when he starts playing in a London club, starts demonstrating a high-quality game of a high level, and then it will be possible to call him a star."
Ukraine take on Spain in the semi-finals on Wednesday and should they run out victorious again, will then clash with either England or Israel in the final of the under-21 Euros. Mudryk will certainly hope that his performances so far have caught the eye of new Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino.
