“Space in behind”- Rio Ferdinand outlines how Chelsea can get the best out of their key January recruit

Rio Ferdinand spots an early pattern in the game of Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk

Speaking to BT Sport (h/t Metro), former Manchester United defender and pundit Rio Ferdinand has spotted a pattern in the game of new Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk.

After making an explosive debut cameo off the bench against Liverpool two weeks ago, Mudryk had an underwhelming home debut against London rivals Fulham.

The Ukraine international, who was signed for £89m by Chelsea, was taken off at half-time by Graham Potter, with the manager confirming that the player suffered cold and could not last the whole game.

Here’s what Ferdinand said regarding Mudryk’s game and the early signs though (h/t Metro):

“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.”

As much as it is understandable what Ferdinand is thinking, it is difficult to judge a player based on his first start for a new club in a new country. Add that to the fact that he had a club before the game, and of course, he would not be at his best.

But, as we all know, wingers of Mudryk type do like it when teams offer them a bit of space to run into and take on defenders in the final third. It would be difficult to get that when teams condense the defensive space.

It must be noted that the player is only 22 now. So, he has time on his hands to enhance the technical side of his game, which would be useful in tight spaces against multiple defenders.

More Chelsea News:

• Chelsea told to sign Fulham star Aleksandr Mitrovic to solve striker issues
• Chelsea express interest in Manchester United target and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen
• La Liga’s top executive has expressed doubt about Chelsea and the Premier League regarding spending prowess

We hope that with more experience and training time with the team, Mudryk gets better and shows different traits to his game for the coming games. One of the solutions may be to play him as an impact for a few weeks or play him into the team. No final judgements on a player until he has played a minimum of 10 games at the least.