Author: Amrit Santlani
Gus Poyet makes an explosive comparison between the Belgian and Michael Mudryk. Even though Chelsea’s new boy Mudryk hasn’t set the stage on fire since his £89 million transfer from Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk, the legendary Gus Poyet has backed the Ukrainian great, claiming that he could follow in Eden Hazard’s footsteps.
Mudryk was on the verge of joining Arsenal, but Chelsea thwarted the deal and managed to sign one of the brightest wingers of recent times. The youngster had an impressive first game for Chelsea, making rapid progress against Liverpool in January. However, he has struggled to recover at Stamford Bridge.
Since joining Chelsea, the 22-year-old has registered just one assist in nine games for his new club, but a former West London legend has compared Mudryk to Hazard. Poyet feels that the new recruit could have a similar impact to the Belgian.
“Explosive, direct, very, very fast. He’s the kind of player who needs to make a difference. The job Mudryk will have in the future is what Eden Hazard did at Chelsea – he’s that kind of player and the potential is there.” Poyet told The Evening Standard.
“Ninety-nine percent of the time, you don’t sign that many players in January. That was the biggest surprise for me” added the former Southampton coach.
He continued: “If you look at the players they’ve bought, there’s definitely a plan. They are players who have been signed for the future. The new message is patience.“
Mudryk recently missed a good chance to score against Aston Villa, which has characterized his struggles so far at Chelsea. Chelsea ended up losing the match 2-0, and subsequently club owner Todd Boehly sacked manager Graham Potter as the club slipped into the bottom half of the Premier League standings.
Meanwhile, Hazard joined Stamford Bridge as a teenager and would go on to become the best in the world before moving to Real Madrid. He scored 110 goals and provided 92 assists for Chelsea over the course of a very long career, with more than 350 appearances. Unfortunately, however, he didn’t achieve that kind of form at Real Madrid.