Former Chelsea player backs Mykhailo Mudryk to come good eventually

Ex-Chelsea player Gus Poyet remains confident in Mykhailo Mudryk despite a rough start to life at Stamford Bridge.

Despite looking set to join Arsenal, the winger was snapped up by Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk for an initial £70 million plus a further £30m in add-ons as part of an astonishing spending spree during the January transfer window.

However, he has flattered to deceive since making the switch to west London, registering just one assist and spurning several glorious chances in his eight matches across all competitions.

While some sections of the Chelsea faithful are already starting to lose faith in a currently out-of-sorts Mudryk, Poyet has backed the winger to come up with the goods, while also admitting that patience will be needed.

“Explosive, direct, very, very quick – he is the type of player that needs to make a difference,” Poyet told the Evening Standard.

“The job Mudryk will have in the future is what Eden Hazard did at Chelsea; he is that type of player and the potential is there.

“Ninety-nine per cent of the time, you don’t sign that quantity of players in January, that was the biggest surprise for me.

“If we analyse the players they bought, there is definitely a plan.

“They are players that have been signed for the future – the new message is patience.”

Off the back of a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa last time out, Mudryk and Chelsea set out to make a winning start to life after Graham Potter when they welcome Liverpool to Stamford Bridge in a heavyweight clash later today.

Mudryk will be looking to put on a show after he made a decent second-half cameo appearance in the reverse fixture at Anfield, which was his first game in a blue shirt.