Chelsea new signing Mykhailo Mudryk backed to surpass Eden Hazard after exciting debut
Speaking on Talksport Radio, as quoted by Express, former Scotland striker Ally McCoist has backed new Chelsea signing Mykhailo Mudryk to surpass club legend Eden Hazard after his explosive debut against Liverpool.
The Ukraine international, who arrived at Stamford Bridge for a deal worth £88.5m last week, came on as a second-half substitute on Saturday to make his club debut and made an instant impression.
Mudryk’s pace and dribbling skills troubled the Liverpool back-line throughout his 30-min cameo. One occasion where he dribbled past three defenders only to have his shot go wide was one indication of what is to come from him.
Here’s what McCoist said about the 22-year-old and compared him to Hazard (h/t Express):
“I’m having him. He looks the real deal. I’ll tell you what he is, he’s a lot quicker than Hazard.
“He is a flying machine. He was on for two minutes and James Milner was chasing him like me at the six-a-side at this moment in time.
“What a turn of pace it was and James was just a little bit late with the tackle, got a yellow card. But no, what a cameo for a start, I thought he probably should have won the game actually to tell you the truth.”
Referencing what McCoist said, it did seem like Mudryk has a lot more pace to burn compared to Hazard during his Chelsea days. But, if the Ukrainian can do even half of what the Belgian did at Stamford Bridge, his time here would be considered a success.
There were doubts about this deal when the Blues were completing it. But, it only took one cameo appearance for the 22-year-old to show why he is worth the big money.
With no game till the 3rd of February due to the elimination in cup competitions, Chelsea and Graham Potter have time to spend extra days on the training field to incorporate Mudryk and make him understand what needs to be done to do well in this team.
More Chelsea News:
- Chelsea target Jude Bellingham to turn down new contract offer from Dortmund
- Marc Cucurella praises Mykhailo Mudryk for his impactful Chelsea debut
- Chelsea set to step up pursuit of Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries
If the winger continues on his promising start, we could see something special from him from now till the end of this season and beyond. He may turn out to be the difference-maker in our bid to finish in the top four and go deep in the Champions League.