“We forget that outside of this game, there is life” - Gael Clichy says struggling Chelsea star can become ‘best’ in his position

Former Arsenal defender feels people have been too quick to judge Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk. The Ukrainian winger joined the Blues from Shakhtar Donetsk for a reported fee of £89 million in January 2023.

However, since joining the Blues, Mudryk is yet to impress, registering seven goals and four assists in 58 games for Chelsea. With a section of football fans and pundits writing him off, Clichy has offered an alternative view to the situation.

He said (via Football 365):

“Mykhailo Mudryk was about to sign for Arsenal for big money last year, and everyone was thinking he was going to come in and change the team completely, with his pace, and how good he looked with the ball at his feet, and everything like that."

He continued:

"Then, you look at the year or so he’s had with Chelsea and some people might think, ‘thank God we didn’t buy him.’ Does it mean the player is not performing? Maybe he’ll turn up next season."

Suggesting that the war-torn situation back in Mudryk's home country Ukraine has played a role in the winger's form, Clichy empathised:

“We have to think about other things, off the pitch, such as what’s happening with him at home, coming from a place where things are really tough right now. Sometimes, we forget about this kind of thing and just focus on what the guy is doing on the pitch."

Drawing an example of footballers being humans as well, he continued:

“My son, for example, will cut his finger at school, and I won’t feel good for the whole afternoon. So I can’t imagine what these guys are having to deal with. And when I talk about these guys, I’m talking about the people of Ukraine."

Clichy emphasized:

“Football is a machine which does this sometimes; we forget that outside of this game, there is life."

Backing the winger to deliver next season, Clichy added:

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Mudryk comes out next season and becomes the best winger in the Premier League, because he’s absolutely got all of the attributes which you want in a winger."

The former French left-back also explained:

“Why is he not performing now? His club is not performing, maybe he’s not feeling himself, and maybe that will change next season. We don’t know what these people are going through, and you have to keep that in mind. We all have quick opinions, and it’s very easy to judge when we haven’t got all of the cards in front of us.”

Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk's season is over ahead of game against Bournemouth

Mudryk was involved in a collision with Brighton & Hove Albion defender Tariq Lamptey in Chelsea's previous game on Wednesday, May 15. The winger was taken off as a result of the incident, with the player being used as a concussion substitute.

Speaking ahead of this weekend's final league game against Bournemouth, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino said (via GOAL):

"No, he (Mudryk) is not OK, we are checking. He was a little bit dizzy but we used the concussion substitution and the rule is seven days, so he is not going to be available for the next game, but I hope it is nothing wrong."

Unfortunately for Mudryk, the concussion sub rule mandates a seven-day cooling-off period. This means that even if he becomes fit, Mudryk will be unable to play a part in the final game of the season against Bournemouth.

The player himself took to his Instagram profile to confirm the same. He captioned the post:

"Unfortunately, the season is over for me. Thank you all for the messages, l feel better. See you next season, Blues 💙 It's part of the game innit 🤷🏼."