Mykhailo Mudryk has supposedly impressed new Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino with his attitude by stating his desire to represent Ukraine’s U21 side.
What does Mauricio Pochettino think of Mykhailo Mudryk?
The season is now officially over for the Blues and many will be delighted by this as it will allow them to put a terrible campaign behind them, having finished 12th in the Premier League – their lowest-ever final position in the division.
Perhaps more than most, Mudryk will also be relieved to be done with English football for a short while, having really struggled to adapt to his new environment since his £88.5m January move from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Indeed, the £97,000 per week winger has scored zero goals and had claimed just two assists in 17 matches since arriving and has been subjected to plenty of criticism for his underwhelmed displays.
With that in mind, you might think he'd prefer to take a big break away from the game over the summer but according to The Telegraph, he hopes to play for Ukraine at this summer’s European Under-21 Championship in a bid to rediscover his best form.
The article explained: "Mudryk’s desire to try to recapture his form and confidence with the Under-21s is thought to have impressed new head coach Mauricio Pochettino and his staff ahead of the Argentine officially starting work at Chelsea on July 1."
Can Mudryk play for Ukraine Under-21s this summer?
Mudryk had actually already had a couple of weeks off since Chelsea's season finished but he did start in Monday’s friendly against Germany, even forcing an own goal off Antonio Rudiger in the 3-3 draw.
The article adds, however, that despite being in the senior Ukraine squad, the 22-year-old is also still eligible for the Under-21s for this summer’s tournament in Romania and Georgia.
With that being the case, he hopes to use this as an opportunity to "find some rhythm at a critical time" having not played an awful lot of minutes for Chelsea in the final stages of the season.
Interestingly enough, Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi once rejected the opportunity to play for England’s Under-21s after appearing for the senior side – which left Gareth Southgate unimpressed – and so Mudryk's decision shows the very opposite attitude.
There's no doubt, Ukraine's winger has failed to live up to expectations since arriving at Stamford Bridge but he's still so young there is plenty of time for him to develop with the right coaching and this willingness to play for his nation during the summer certainly shows he's really committed to fulfilling his potential at Chelsea.