Jadon Sancho is enjoying his time on loan at Chelsea (Image: GETTY)
Jadon Sancho has not even completed a full game in a Chelsea shirt, but the on-loan winger has already made it clear he can make an immediate impact for Enzo Maresca’s side this season.
Rewarded with a start against West Ham on Saturday, the 24-year-old provided a sublime pass to set up Nicolas Jackson for the opening goal.
It came less than a week after the Manchester United-owned forward came off the bench to assist Christopher Nkunku for the winning goal against Bournemouth.
With two assists in two outings, it means that Sancho – with less than 90 minutes on the pitch for Chelsea – has already matched the total number of assists achieved last season by Mykhaylo Mudryk, and that will make damning reading for the Ukrainian star.
Mudryk, 23, was left as an unused substitute by Maresca as Chelsea roared to a 3-0 victory over their London rivals. While it has been ruled out that Chelsea will attempt to offload the struggling forward in January, there is cause to be concerned about his long-term future at Stamford Bridge.
Mudryk made only 18 starts in the Premier League last season and scored five goals, but his creativity was lacking, with only two assists for the entire campaign.
The fact Sancho, who only arrived on deadline day, has managed to settle so quickly and prove to be decisive in helping win points is an indictment of Mudryk’s 20-month spell in west London.
Sancho joined in a season-long loan deal from United, which will become permanent due to an obligation-to-buy clause. It is believed Chelsea have agreed to pay around £25million for the deal to go through in total – less than a third of the £88m fee that Chelsea could end up paying for Mudryk.
Mykhaylo Mudryk finds himself frozen out again for Chelsea (Image: GETTY)
It’s not only Mudryk who has been shown up by Sancho. United boss Erik ten Hag exiled Sancho from his squad for the majority of last season and sent him on loan to Borussia Dortmund.
The one-time England international impressed with the Bundesliga side, aiding their cause in reaching the Champions League final, but a deal to take him back to Germany never materialised.
Dortmund’s loss has proved to be Chelsea’s gain, as Sancho looks fresh, fit and desperate to prove a point. He has already forced his way into the team past Mudryk and started ahead of Pedro Neto as well, a £54m signing from Wolves.
While Sancho did not last the full game at the London Stadium, he had already done the hard work in the first half and showed a willingness to track back defensively.
That is another area where Mudryk in particular has struggled. With the likes of Joao Felix and Noni Madueke also competing for places alongside Sancho and Neto, Mudryk could find himself frozen out of Maresca’s side note before too long.
There will be ample opportunities for Mudryk to impress, however, as Chelsea face Barrow, next in the Carabao Cup third round on Tuesday. They are also competing in the UEFA Conference League league phase, whereby Maresca will be tempted to rotate his squad.
Mudryk’s future is not under any immediate threat, at least until the transfer window reopens in January. But it is essential at this stage in his career that he is playing regularly.
What is becoming clear now is that will only happen at Chelsea if he can begin to follow in Sancho’s lead and take his chance in the team.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1951659/Jadon-Sancho-Chelsea-Mykhaylo-Mudryk