Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk might have found life at Stamford Bridge difficult so far, but that hasn't stopped one former Blues great from comparing him to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Since joining Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk for £89m in January 2023, Mudryk has flattered to deceive. The Ukrainian winger only managed to bag his first Premier League goal on Monday against Fulham, while his inconsistent performances have seen him struggle to nail down a regular spot in the starting XI.
However, former Chelsea defender William Gallas - who played for the club between 2001 and 2006 and won two Premier League titles - believes that Mudryk has shown all the signs of a player capable of emulating some of the game's greatest footballers.
"I think he has all of the attributes to become a top, top player," Gallas told Gambling Zone. "We can all see that he has the ingredients, we are just waiting to see his real quality. He makes things look really easy. The way that he can accelerate past players, he makes his opponent look slow.
"One player that was a little bit similar was Cristiano Ronaldo. When Cristiano was younger and first came to the Premier League, he showed that he had all of the technical ability and the pace. He showed incredible skill with his stepovers. Everything he did on the pitch was fast. Mudryk has some similar movements.
"I think when he can put everything together, it will be very difficult to stop Mudryk. He has the same ability as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Mbappe when it comes to his ground speed and acceleration."
Mudryk has certainly gained the confidence of his Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino in recent weeks. The Argentine has been impressed with the 22-year-old's ability, while highlighting the difficulties he has had to overcome since joining the club.
"We need to understand that young people need time and need to settle," Pochettino said after beating Fulham on Monday. "It’s about adaptation. It’s a big change when Mudryk arrived here and when you arrive at a team, it’s not easy to settle in a team that isn’t solid. He wasn’t the cherry on the cake, they needed to add something to the team.
"It’s about time, having patience, trusting these young talented players, building confidence. It’s a big job, step by step. Sometimes people don’t have the patience but for us it’s about having the patience. Even when we weren’t winning, we were calm, stayed positive, had the belief."
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