"The real deal" - Steven Gerrard says Chelsea new signing Mykhaylo Mudryk reminds him of Arjen Robben

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard compared newly-signed Chelsea winger Mykhaylo Mudryk with Dutch legend Arjen Robben. This comes after the Ukranian's cameo against the Reds at Anfield in the Premier League on January 21.

There has been a lot of hype surrounding the winger since his big-money arrival from Shakhtar Donetsk. The Blues spent close to €100 million to acquire his signature.

Mudryk lived up to the hype in his first appearance as a Premier League player after coming on in the second half. He completed 13 out of his 14 attempted passes with a 93% accuracy. Mudryk also won six out of his eight ground duels. He created space for himself to create a great opportunity to score but missed the target from a tight angle.

His talent is evident and fans can expect better things to come from the player in the near future. Gerrard also showered praise on the player and compared him to former Bayern Munich and Real Madrid winger Robben.

Gerrard told BT Sport (h/t Pys):

"Mykhaylo Mudryk looks the real deal, some of his clips today were outstanding. He reminded me a little bit of Arjen Robben, his footwork, how quick he is, how he manipulates the ball, I would be very excited if I was Chelsea."

Much like Mudryk, Robben also spent a spell at Stamford Bridge. He made 106 appearances for the Blues, scoring 19 goals and providing 21 assists.

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Chelsea manager Graham Potter reacted to Mykhaylo Mudryk's debut

Chelsea FC v Crystal Palace - Premier League

After a goalless draw against Liverpool, Chelsea manager Graham Potter claimed he wanted to bring Mykhaylo Mudryk on a bit later than he did. The Ukrainian was subbed on in the 55th minute for Lewis Hall.

Potter said after the game (via Mirror):

“Yes, ideally we wanted to give him around 30 minutes, but we thought it was the right time. He's a fit boy and we thought it was the right time to bring him on. It was a good start to his career with us."

He further added:

"He’s not played football for a while, he’s been on a mid-season break, we had to manage his minutes and he’s still in that phase, but you could see his qualities.”

Reflecting on his team's performance at Anfield, Potter said:

"First half, we were decent, unlucky not to get the goal. It is what it is. They started the second half well, and we adjusted a couple of things and gained control, had a couple of chances. Overall, a positive day, apart from the fact we wanted three points."

Chelsea will next host Fulham, who beat them 2-1 at Craven Cottage on January 12, in the Premier League on February 3.