Graham Potter should award new Chelsea signing Mykhailo Mudryk with his club debut against Liverpool on the weekend.
That’s according to former Aston Villa and Liverpool attacker Stan Collymore, who believes the Ukraine international is ‘exactly what Chelsea need right now’.
Mudryk, 22, became January’s biggest transfer story after the former Shakhtar Donetsk winger agreed to a stunning £88.5m (Sky Sports) move to Stamford Bridge at the expense of long-time admirers Arsenal.
Having arrived and already completed his first proper training session, the highly-rated 22-year-old is now in line to start against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool when the two sides meet on Saturday afternoon.
Liverpool, like Chelsea, are enduring a poor run of form. Currently sitting ninth and 10th in the table, respectively, it goes without saying that this weekend’s matchup is likely to have big implications in the race for the top four.
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And when it comes to the prospect of Mudryk getting his first taste of Premier League football, Collymore thinks Potter cannot afford to leave him out.
“Start him against Liverpool on the weekend? – Absolutely!” Collymore said in an exclusive interview.
“He’s got to get up to speed and that is difficult when you come to the Premier League from somewhere like Ukraine, but he has pace, directness and he’s very tricky, and that is exactly what Chelsea need right now.”
Chelsea’s Premier League match against Liverpool, which is set to take place at Anfield, is set to kick off at 12.30 p.m. (UK time) and will be broadcast live on BT Sport.