Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk has taken a shocking decision in a bid to impress new manager Mauricio Pochettino.
The winger has decided to play for Ukraine’s Under-21 side at this summer’s European Championships.
Much was expected of the £88.5million signing from Shakhtar Donetsk when he arrived in January after the Blues hijacked Arsenal’s move for the highly-rated winger.
After an encouraging debut against Liverpool, however, Mudryk was able to show only brief glimpses of the potential that had persuaded Chelsea to make such a massive investment in him.
Shorn of confidence, Mudryk struggled to win the faith of Graham Potter before his sacking and his interim replacement Frank Lampard.
The 22-year-old is still to score his first Chelsea goal but is desperate to prove himself at Stamford Bridge and, according to the The Telegraph, is ready to represent his country this summer in an effort to build-up his fitness ahead of pre-season.
Lampard identified a lack of intensity and dedication in training as a reason for Chelsea’s appalling form towards the end of last season and although he did not specifically mention Mudryk, the youngster is keen to hit the ground running under his new boss.
Mudryk has already represented the senior Ukraine national team on 10 occasionsand looked much more like his old self last night in a 3-3 draw against Germany.
Chelsea are understood to have backed his decision to represent Ukraine’s Under-21 side but it remains to be seen whether or not he will be picked for the tournament which takes place in Romania and Georgia.
Mudryk’s decision contrasts markedly with the stance taken by Callum Hudson-Odoi who has opted against putting himself forward for selection for England.
