Mykhailo Mudryk trying hard to adapt to Chelsea culture after difficult start

Mykhailo Mudryk has been making an effort to adapt to the culture of life in England (Nigel French/PA)

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino says Mykhailo Mudryk is making a concerted effort to adapt to life in England and fulfil his potential as a “unique” player after an indifferent start to his career at Stamford Bridge.

The Ukrainian moved from Shakhtar Donetsk in January for a fee that could rise to £88million, but he has featured only inconsistently in the starting XI under successive managers and is yet to score his first Blues goal.

He arrived having missed a significant amount of playing time during the previous 12 months after the war in Ukraine caused the suspension of the domestic league, and at the time of Chelsea’s bid he had made only 44 professional appearances for Shakhtar.

It is the first time that the 22-year-old has lived outside of Ukraine, with Pochettino having previously made the point that young players in particular require time to settle into a new culture when moving abroad.

Mudryk has started each of Chelsea’s last three games and has shown flashes of promising in short bursts, including the beginnings of a burgeoning on-field relationship with new striker Nicolas Jackson.

And Pochettino said the winger is making the effort that he expects of his players to integrate as he waits for his expensively assembled side to gel.

“The life of these guys, when they are so young, (it) changed,” said the manager, whose squad with an average age of just over 23 is the youngest in the Premier League this season.

“You pay big money, big change form where they came. Also it’s not about to arrive and to perform when you are young.

“It’s about to adapt, it’s about to help them to settle. Then the most difficult