Rio Ferdinand suspects that teams may have already begun to work out how to defend against Mykhailo Mudryk. The 22-year-old struggled to impress on his Stamford Bridge debut as Chelsea were held to a goalless draw by Fulham on Friday night.
After failing to impact the game, he was replaced by Noni Madueke at half-time. But, after the game, Graham Potter revealed that Mudryk had been suffering from a heavy cold in the week building up to the west London derby.
Nevertheless, the Ukraine international recorded fewer touches (19) than Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno in the opening 45 minutes. So, Ferdinand has suggested that clubs have already worked out how to stop Mudryk and that the winger may need to diversify his method of attack.
READ MORE: Graham Potter reveals Mykhailo Mudryk Chelsea problem after Fulham injury fear
The former Manchester United defender told BT Sport: "It’s mad because I watched him in his first game against Liverpool and that 20 minute cameo was as good as I’ve seen.
"You have to have a bit of balance to it. Fulham are a hard team to play against at the moment, they set up defensively very well when they are out of possession.
"His game, from the clips I’ve seen, he’s at his best when there is space in behind to run. He played against a team yesterday that were in a bit of a low block. They condensed the pitch that made it more difficult for him so that’s something he’s going to have to work out in time."
Ferdinand continued by admitting that he sympathises with Mudryk — a player who has a lot of pressure to perform due to both his price and for snubbing Arsenal. He added: "The market there were people willing to pay that, so you can’t say that’s overspending.
"They (Arsenal) wanted him badly and I think there would have been other takers. The thing for me, I was a record, big-money signing.
"As a player you don’t set the price and we judge the player and we criticise the player but they don’t take part in the money side of things. It’s unfortunate but anyone who costs £80million or £100million, you have to say that’s overpriced."
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