“I just like to make people feel confident in themselves” – Chelsea star says he’s been motivating Mykhailo Mudryk behind the scenes

Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell has revealed that he has been motivating Mykhailo Mudryk behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge.

The England international claims the Ukrainian winger has immense potential, something Chilwell is helping him realize. The former Leicester City defender said in an interview with the Evening Standard:

"With Mischa, I just see endless bags of potential that hasn't been fulfilled yet. I've told him that, I literally had a conversation with him after training in the changing room, he can be such a good player for us and we know how good he is."

Chilwell added:

"I just like to make people feel confident in themselves. When I have these conversations with Mischa, for example, it's just to make him feel like he's unstoppable so that he goes into the next game so full of confidence."

Chelsea signed Mudryk in the January transfer window for £88.5 million from FC Shakhtar Donetsk. The Ukrainian international was touted as one of Europe's hottest prospects in the attacking department.

However, he has failed to live up to the hype in his first six months with the west London outfit. Mudryk failed to get on the scoresheet for the Blues after registering 15 Premier League appearances during the 2022-23 campaign.

Chilwell's words of encouragement seem to have had an impact on the Ukrainian forward though. Mudryk managed to find the back of the net in Chelsea's 4-3 win in their pre-season friendly against Brighton & Hove Albion on 23 July.

"It is not all my potential" - Mudryk makes emphatic claim over his career at Chelsea so far

Following the Blues' victory over Brighton in Philadelphia, Mudryk was asked to reflect on his performance in the encounter. The Ukrainian forward made emphatic claims about his potential as he touched upon playing under new manager Pochettino.

Mudryk said in a post-match interview (as quoted by ESPN):

"I feel happy for all the work I put into this goal. It is not all my potential. It is only 20%. I feel good because playing under Pochettino, our manager, it is nice, it is enjoyable and it is a new team which is also enjoyable."

The Ukrainian also spoke about his first six months with the west London outfit. The Chelsea forward labeled his rather turbulent time at Stamford Bridge as a learning period in which the key lesson was patience.

Pochettino reflected on Mudryk's goal in the encounter as well. The Chelsea manager said (via Metro):

"Of course for Jackson, for Mudryk, I think it’s important to score. For Nkunku also. I think attacking players need to score and they need to build their confidence and their trust in themselves and always it’s important to score goals."

It remains to be seen whether Mudryk can perform during the 2023-24 campaign under Mauricio Pochettino.