Shakhtar Donetsk chief bizarrely compares Mykhailo Mudryk to a FERRARI as he claims Chelsea ‘don’t know how to drive’ the Ukrainian after being left out of their trip to Anfield

A Shakhtar Donetsk chief has claimed Chelsea ‘don’t know how to handle’ Mykhailo Mudryk after the Ukrainian was left out of their recent trip to Liverpool.

The winger arrived at Stamford Bridge in a big-money £88million deal in January 2023 but he has struggled to find consistency in west London.

The Ukrainian has scored just seven goals and recorded seven assists in his 66 appearances for the Blues to date.

And his most recent blow came after being left out of their matchday squad to take on Liverpool on Sunday afternoon – which the Blues lost 2-1. 

Now, Shakhtar Donetsk chief general director Sergiy Palkin has slammed the way Chelsea have used Mudryk.

Shakhtar Donetsk chief Sergey Palkin (right) has questioned how Chelsea use Mudryk

Speaking to GOAL, he said: ‘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.’

‘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 had been locked in a transfer tussle between top-flight rivals Arsenal and Chelsea but eventually settled on a move to West London. 

He has since played under a succession of managers that have failed to extract the best from him, however. Enzo Maresca is the latest tasked with improving the forward’s fortunes.

As reported by Mail Sport, Chelsea have blocked Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez from representing Ukraine and Argentina respectively at the upcoming Olympic Games.

Enzo Maresca is the latest Chelsea manager tasked with improving the forward’s fortunes

The £88million signing was left out of their matchday squad to face Liverpool on Sunday

The club are understood to be desperate to avoid a repeat of the nightmarish injury pile-up that threatened to derail Pochettino’s work last season and want Maresca to begin his first year at the helm with a fully-fit squad to choose from.

Mudryk has struggled to find in the place in the squad throughout the 2024-25 season after the summer arrivals of Joao Felix, Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto. 

Chelsea fell to a 2-1 defeat in their trip to Anfield after Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones struck for the Reds.

The Blues currently sit sixth in the Premier League table after a relatively strong start to the campaign for new manager Enzo Maresca.