Chelsea have been accused of not understanding how to get the best out of Mykhailo Mudryk by the chief of the winger’s former club, Shakhtar Donetsk.

Mudryk joined Chelsea in January 2023 in a deal worth up to £89m following a transfer battle with Arsenal, but the Ukraine international has suffered through extended periods of poor form and has been reduced to a back-up role this season under new coach Enzo Maresca.

The player started and scored against Panathinaikos in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday evening, but Europe and the Carabao Cup have been his only real opportunities this season other than playing the first half only of a Premier League clash with Wolves in August.

Long-serving Shakhtar general director Serhiy Palkin knows Mudryk well and has claimed it is Chelsea’s fault that the 23-year-old isn’t doing better.

“You don’t need a Ferrari if you don’t know how to drive it. A normal car will do. If you buy a Ferrari, you should think about how to handle it. That’s my opinion on Mudryk at Chelsea,” he told GOAL.

“I am sure that he will show his qualities when he gets the chance. He is an absolute difference maker, which can also be seen in his appearances for the Ukrainian national team. There are very few players in this category.”

Mudryk rose to prominence at Shakhtar in the first half of the 2022/23 season when he scored in Champions League group games against RB Leipzig and Celtic. He also had a goal record in the Ukrainian Premier League during that campaign, but very little in the way of experience.

In less than two years as a Chelsea player, Mudryk is already playing under a fifth different manager, having arrived when Graham Potter was still in charge and then going through interims Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard, before Mauricio Pochettino spent last season at the helm.

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