Chelsea have already found ‘next Eden Hazard’ as Mauricio Pochettino given huge £62m task

Mykhailo Mudryk, in Gus Poyet’s opinion, has the potential to replace Eden Hazard at Chelsea. The 22-year-old winger struggled at first to live up to expectations after moving to the Blues from Shakhtar Donetsk in January for an initial £62 million.

However, Mudryk has demonstrated that he can be an important player for Chelsea with standout performances against Bournemouth, Aston Villa, and Fulham after the hiring of Mauricio Pochettino. Supporters will be hopeful that the Ukraine international does the historic number justice after Hazard, who also famously wore the No. 10 shirt for the west Londoners, announced his retirement.

Although Mudryk faces a challenging assignment in trying to replace the Belgian’s shoes, Poyet has faith in the youngster. The former Chelsea star remarked in an interview with the Evening Standard in April that he was “Explosive, Direct, Very, Very Quick. Mudryk is that kind of player, and he has the potential to do the job Eden Hazard accomplished at Chelsea in the future.

“You don’t sign that many players in January 99% of the time. The biggest surprise to me was that. There is unquestionably a strategy if we look at the guys they acquired. They are players that have been acquired with future plans in mind. The fresh message is to be patient.

Poyet may have wooed Mudryk with his kind words, however the 55-year-old has warned him that Chelsea must win some silverware. He added: “For a team like Chelsea, I don’t believe in transition years.

“When they go a year without winning a trophy, it doesn’t matter what they did the year before. No trophy and no Champions League football would be a very bad season for Chelsea. Every time you aim for less than that, you are not part of a winning mentality.”