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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Samuel Meade

Gary Neville makes bold Mykhaylo Mudryk claim after watching him for just 10 minutes

Gary Neville has already suggested he "wouldn't like to play" against Chelsea new boy Mykhaylo Mudryk.

The Ukrainian recently completed his move to the Blues, despite heavy interest from Arsenal, and was given his first dose of Premier League football at Anfield. Chelsea and Liverpool played out a goalless draw, but Mudryk was arguably the game's brightest spark.

He started on the bench but came on after 55 minutes. His first touch in English football was a heavy one, but after that he began to impact the game. He waltzed into the Liverpool box, gliding past two defenders before firing a shot just wide as he continued to excite the away fans.

Neville, having only seen the winger briefly, made his feelings clear as he took to social media: "Seeing Mudryk for 10 mins I wouldn't like to play against him!"

Chelsea boss Graham Potter is a man under pressure but the addition of several new recruits has bolstered his hopes of getting his side up the table. Mudryk has cost the west Londoners £89m, penning an eight-year deal, and his new boss was impressed with his cameo on Merseyside and believed there was more to come given his lack of recent football.

Potter said on BT Sport: "He's not played football for a while, he's been on a mid-season break so we had to manage his minutes. He's still in that phase but I think you can see he's got quality, I thought he had a good impact on the game."

Arsenal opted not to pay Shakhtar Donetsk's asking price after negotiating with them for several weeks. They themselves are in the market for new forward recruits and Rio Ferdinand admits those at the Emirates may be regretting their decision not to pursue the winger.

He said: "We've all seen clips of his explosive pace, but I saw someone there with soft feet today. Someone who's got a good weight of pass, good decision-making in the final third, the calmness running at speed - those elements there make it a frightening proposition running at a full-back when he gets into full flow.

"These are only his first minutes in a month or so, so who knows what he’s going to be producing after this. It's an exciting moment for Chelsea fans and I’m sure there will be Arsenal fans sitting there going oh my days, how did we let this one go."

Gerrard also spoke glowingly about the new man at Stamford Bridge: "I would be really excited about the new kid, Mudryk, if I was a Chelsea fan going away, I thought that was a strong cameo, and if he's not fit and there's more to come in that department then I know Chelsea fans will be really excited. He looks the real deal, some of his clips today were outstanding. He reminded me a little bit of Arjen Robben here today, his footwork, how quick he is, how he manipulates the ball, I would be very excited if I was Chelsea."

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