Tottenham winger Mykhaylo Mudryk is set for a spell on the sidelines after the latest injury blow.
Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a blow with news that summer signing Mykhaylo Mudryk has suffered a fresh ankle injury in training.
Mykhaylo Mudryk surprised many by completing a loan move to Spurs from bitter rivals Chelsea on transfer deadline day, and the North London club hold the option of signing the winger permanently for £75 million at the end of the campaign. The 25-year-old had not played for 20 months due to a doping ban, which was dropped by the FA in July.
The Ukrainian international made his Tottenham debut last weekend when he came on as a substitute in the 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest. After his cameo, Roberto De Zerbi admitted that Mudryk needs time to get back to match rhythm and fitness levels. However, the 25-year-old’s progress has now received a setback.
Keith Wyness thinks Chelsea must be worried after Mykhaylo Mudryk’s injury blow
Former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness has raised concerns over Chelsea’s hopes of offloading Mudryk after the injury blow. He thinks that the key decision-makers at Chelsea must be worried about their loanee’s latest development, stating that the Ukraine international needs to be a superstar for Tottenham to trigger his £75 million buy option.
“It’s Chelsea who are the ones who are sweating on his performances right now because they’re the ones that could be stuck with a very valuable asset,” Keith Wyness said on the Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast (h/t Football Insider).
“And Mudryk really has got, if he’s going to try and salvage his career, to really outperform. He’s doing it in an environment that’s already under a little bit of pressure.
“Coming into that environment isn’t the same as coming into a successful, winning team. It’s coming into a bit of a hot house. Let’s just see how he goes. But all this is a chance for him to audition and to prove his worth. He’s going to have to do a hell of a lot to make it worth £75m. He’s going to have to outperform that.
“He’s going to have to be worth £100m. He’s going to have to be a superstar to make that work. And I don’t see that happening, to be honest.
“So, I would expect him to be back at Chelsea in the not-too-distant future. I don’t think this is going to work out with a happy ending, in my view.”
Setback for Mudryk and De Zerbi
Mudryk is expected to be sidelined for the next two months with an ankle injury sustained in training. It is the latest blow and could not have come at a worse time for the speedy attacker, and De Zerbi will be concerned.
Not having the Ukrainian star for the forthcoming games reduces De Zerbi’s attacking options, especially at a time when his team hasn’t disturbed the scorers in the Premier League. It is also a personal setback for Mudryk, who expressed his delight after returning to action last weekend after nearly 20 months.