Graham Potter has reportedly held private discussions with Mykhaylo Mudryk to explain why he has not been featuring in his Chelsea starting XI frequently following his £89million transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk. The Ukrainian winger has had to bide his time upon signing on the dotted line at Stamford Bridge as Potter continues to persist with a front three of Joao Felix, Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz.
Mudryk made a bright start to his Blues career when he caused Liverpool all kinds of problems in the 0-0 draw at Anfield back in January.
But since then, the jet-heeled winger has been forced to watch on from the sidelines after failing to impress in starts against Fulham and West Ham.
Nonetheless, Chelsea insider Simon Phillips is reporting that Potter has been in talks with Mudryk behind the scenes to explain why he has not been featuring for the Blues.
There is optimism that while it is unlikely to deter Mudryk from feeling frustrated about his lack of game time, it will provide some context to Potter’s decision-making.
Furthermore, it’s a process that helped Marc Cucurella flourish on Tuesday night as Chelsea reached the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund.
Cucurella was left out of the 18-man Chelsea squad to face Leeds in the Premier League on Saturday before he returned to the fray and delivered a statement performance on the left side of their back-three.
His progress could now provide inspiration for Mudryk, who has been amongst the substitutes for the past few Chelsea matches with the Blues now starting to turn around their form.
The Chelsea boss was quick to praise the curly-haired Spaniard after the clash and revealed he has been protecting the full-back amid fierce criticism from supporters.
“I think he got man of the match, if the result hadn’t gone our way – you know the consequences.
“I’m delighted for him, when you’re having a bad time like we are and we’ve had, you accept the criticism.
“Marc has dealt with it well, we’ve tried to shield him but at the same time, I feel like we picked the right moment tonight regardless of what’s happened.
“I thought with Benoit [Badiashile] not available, he just gave us that balance in the back-three with his left foot and he delivered a top performance.”
Potter has continued to heavily rotate and experiment with his side after going in search of a winning formula.
He now appears to have found it in the form of a back-three and unfortunately for Mudryk, he has been one of the casualties to drop out of the side alongside Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech.
Mudryk’s last start came in the first leg against Borussia Dortmund in Germany as Chelsea fell to a 1-0 defeat.
The former Arsenal target has since had to settle for small cameos from the bench against Southampton and Tottenham as he bids to force his way back into the fold.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
