As Mykhailo Mudryk took to the Stamford Bridge pitch at half-time of Chelsea's victory against Crystal Palace in January 2023, there was an air of excitement, buoyancy and optimism among supporters.
Their team on the pitch were hardly setting the world alight at the time but in front of them was one of the most exciting, sought-after wide players in football. Beating Arsenal to his signature, he was one for Chelsea fans to really get behind. And after that cameo - his debut - against Liverpool at Anfield, the excitement started to grow. It looked as if Chelsea had a potential world-beater on their hands.
However, despite his really promising debut, it was always going to take some time for Mudryk to settle in at Stamford Bridge. Not only is he a young player arriving from a foreign country, and all the baggage that comes along with that, but the Ukraine international possessed the knowledge that his nation was at war with Russia. And that remains the truth to this very day.
Chelsea had to bed him in. And to be fair, Graham Potter, the head coach at the time, did just that. There was no rush; it was not as if Mudryk had to hit the ground running and despite Chelsea's poor 2022/23 campaign, the £89million signing was not rushed into action as he looked to settle to England and the difference in lifestyle and culture from his homeland.
By the time Mudryk made his debut at Anfield, two months had passed since his last piece of competitive action for Shakhtar Donetsk with the Ukrainian side's season finishing early. So, add that to the rest for even more context as to why it would have taken Mudryk more time than most to settle in.
However, the next season - his first full campaign with the club - is where Chelsea supporters would have really liked to see the real version of the talented winger. Under a new head coach in Mauricio Pochettino, it was clear from the very start of the Argentine's tenure at Stamford Bridge that Mudryk was not his first-choice left winger.
Mudryk was not handed his first start in the Premier League under Pochettino until matchday five. In total, the Ukrainian only started 18 games in the Premier League despite being available for all but three matches.
Mudryk bagged himself only five goals in the league - and only seven in all competitions - in a really disappointing season for the winger, albeit with Chelsea as a whole also underperforming. Yet supporters - for the most part - stuck with Mudryk. They understood the context around his tenure at Stamford Bridge.
Coming into the current campaign, again under new tutelage from Enzo Maresca, and it was immediately clear that the speedy wide man would be given opportunities with Chelsea starting the season in four competitions. Against Wolves, in what was the second match of the Premier League season, Mudryk was dragged off at half-time after a below-par performance in the first 45 minutes.
"I was not happy," Maresca said when quizzed on his decision to bring Mudryk off at Molineux. "I think in some moments we can manage some situations better. He was working very hard off the ball and that was very good, but in terms of on the ball, I expect a bit more quality from Misha."
Expecting more. Those two words in themselves virtually sum up Mudryk's time at Chelsea up until now.
Now, with the Ukraine international provisionally suspended by the Football Association (FA) following a failed drug test, the future of Mudryk is far from certain. Although Maresca does not believe this is the last we will see of the winger in a Blues shirt.
"No, I don't think so [Mudryk's future at Chelsea is over]," he said. "I don't think so. I think he's going to come back. Now the only thing is that we don't know when.
"It's the only doubt we have in this moment but for sure, he is going to come back."