Chelsea 'have their own Vinicius Jr' but star urged to quit Blues with Maresca ultimatum

Mykhaylo Mudryk has been compared to Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr, but Chelsea have been warned that they risk losing the Ukrainian if they stick with Enzo Maresca and he continues to snub the winger.

In the early stages of Maresca's tenure at Stamford Bridge, he has used Mudryk sparingly. The 23-year-old has played just 62 Premier League minutes so far this season and was hauled off at half-time in the Blues' 6-2 win over Wolves.

Mudryk has failed to impress under Graham Potter, Frank Lampard, Mauricio Pochettino and so far Maresca. Chelsea brought in Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho during the summer, adding to his competition with Noni Madueke and Christopher Nkunku.

But Yuriy Benyo, who has been the assistant coach of Mudryk's former side Shakhtar Donetsk since 2022, believes that his Ukraine compatriot is of similar ilk to Vinicius Jr - one of the frontrunners for the Ballon d'Or.

"Mudryk is like Vinicius in Real Madrid. He also does not work so hard on defence," Benyo told Ukrainian outlet Tribuna. "Jovi (Igor Jovicevic - former Shakhtar head coach) and I always have a philosophy that a player's strengths should be used as best as possible, and weaknesses should not be visible. This means that they have to be compensated by other players. This is the essence of football, that it is a team game."

Benyo cautioned that while Mudryk has not yet lived up to his £88million price tag and the potential he showed while in Ukraine, the lack of stability regarding head coaches have their part to play too.

He believes that Mudryk should issue an ultimatum and if Maresca stays at the Chelsea helm for two full seasons and still does not consider him a key player, leave for pastures new.

"He is in such a situation that he cannot even leave," Benyo explained. "There is a constant rotation of coaches. Every coach who comes sees his talent and tries to use it, but when it comes to the game, his weak side becomes noticeable - playing without the ball, playing on defence, in pressing.

"If there was a coach who would work at Chelsea for at least two years, and he really wouldn't count on Mudryk, then it's better to leave. Misha (Mudryk) is such a player that it is easier for him to play when there is trust. It is very specific."

Benyo is far from the first person to place such faith in Mudryk, as his international team-mate Georgiy Sudakov believes he can even go as far as to win the Ballon d'Or in the future.

But first, Mudryk must focus on winning the trust of Maresca and performing to the best of his abilities for Chelsea.