Forgotten Chelsea ace makes Mykhailo Mudryk reveal amid difficult start

Chelsea loanee Angelo Gabriel has admitted under-fire winger Mykhailo Mudryk is blocking out the critics as he seeks to adapt to life at Stamford Bridge.

Mudryk arrived at the Blues under Graham Potter last January after leaving Shakhtar Donetsk amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. The 23-year-old came with a good reputation after bagging 12 goals and 17 assists in just 44 appearances.

However, the forward has struggled to hit the ground running in West London. Across two half-seasons, Mudryk has managed 38 appearances but only contributed four goals and four assists.

While still young, there is plenty of time for Mudryk to hit his full potential under Mauricio Pochettino and one of his teammates who is close to him, Gabriel, believes the critics are not dragging him down. In an interview with Premier League Brasil, the Strasbourg loanee opened up on his relationship with the Ukrainian.

«Someone I really like today is a brother and I miss him, talking and training, Mudryk,» he explained. «I already knew he was an ace.

»I didn't expect to make a very quick friendship with him. But when he started talking to me, I remembered that he played for Shakhtar and there were a lot of Brazilians there.

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«He's a kid with a giant heart. He's quiet, in his opinion, he doesn't really like the reviews.

»You need to arrive, break the ice, for him to feel at ease. He is a bit of a Ukrainian-Brazilian. He's a friend of mine, I miss him. We always talk on Instagram."

Gabriel's time with Mudryk has been limited this season due to his loanee spell at the Blues' French affiliate club. The 19-year-old featured in pre-season for Chelsea but the decision