“There’s pressure on him” – Agbonlahor names Chelsea star who really needs to step up in the upcoming season

Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has urged Chelsea forward Mykhaylo Mudryk to step up his performances next season.

The Blues secured the Ukrainian international's services during the January transfer window from FC Shakhtar Donetsk for £88.5 million. Mudryk is yet to impress at Stamford Bridge after a rather slow start to his career in West London.

The winger was touted as one of Europe's hottest prospects prior to his move to the Blues. Arsenal were understood to be interested in Mudryk as well. However, the Ukrainian forward has not registered a single goal in 15 Premier League appearances for Chelsea.

Agbonlahor believes there is pressure for Mudryk to perform well next term. The former Aston Villa striker said on talkSPORT (as quoted by The Chelsea Chronicle):

“Mudryk, how do we know how he’s going to perform this season? He needs to step it up this season. There’s pressure on him."

Prior to his move to the west London outfit, Mudryk put on some stellar performances for Shakhtar Donetsk last season. The Ukrainian forward scored seven goals and provided six assists in 12 appearances in the Ukrainian Premier League.

He also displayed some impressive form during their European outings. Mudryk recorded three goals and two assists in eight UEFA Champions League appearances for his former outfit last term.

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"Last year I made a mistake" - Former Chelsea midfielder admits he was wrong in initial assessment of Mudryk

Former Chelsea midfielder Gus Poyet has admitted that he was wrong in his initial assessment of Mudryk. The Uruguayan manager, who is now head coach of the Greece national team, claims that his fellow countryman needs time to settle into life in England.

Poyet told 888sport (via Metro):

"Last year I made a mistake, and I’m not afraid of saying it. When Chelsea signed Mykhailo Mudryk, I thought it was outstanding, ‘I thought, 'wow, what an unbelievable player!'"

He added:

"Then I remembered what happened to me and loads of other foreign players when they first move to England – everyone is different and we all need different amounts of time to adapt to football."

Despite Mudryk's performances for Chelsea, newly appointed boss Mauricio Pochettino seems to believe the young talent still has potential.

During his latest press conference, the Argentine manager revealed that he had multiple chats with the Ukrainian forward. Pochettino said (as quoted by GOAL):

"I've spoken with all of the players a lot. I find a really good kid (Mudryk) still really young with amazing potential. The most important thing is to earn the trust. They need to know us and the way that we act. We had many chats and I am so happy about that."

Mudryk could be in action for the Blues against Wrexham in their first pre-season friendly on July 19.