Already touted as one of the hottest talents in European football before the beginning of the Champions League group stages, Mykhaylo Mudryk’s performances against RB Leipzig, Celtic and Real Madrid have seen his star brighten considerably.
Making his international debut with Ukraine in June, the 21-year-old has been a constant menace for defences since. So far this season, he has 8 goals and 8 assists in 16 matches, five of those goal contributions coming in his six Champions League appearances.
It has made him one of the primary targets for Europe’s top clubs, with Arsenal most closely linked. However Real Madrid have also been mentioned in conjunction with Mudryk. Speaking to Vlada Sedan on YouTube, Mudryk dealt any hopes that Madridistas had of signing him a considerable blow.
“From a purely hypothetical perspective, if there was the option of being a bench player at Real Madrid or a starter at Arsenal, I would probably choose Arsenal. But it’s a tough question, and it involves a lot of factors in my answer. First I would like to hear from the manager that even if I wasn’t a guaranteed starter, I would get a chance. Essentially, I need to hear directly from the coach what he envisions my role to be.”
Diario AS covered his comments, as he also revealed that he could have moved in the summer, but Shakhtar Donetsk rejected any approaches.
“I spoke to two or three coaches, either directly or through a translator, they were Nice, Bayer Leverkusen and Brentford. When it didn’t work out, I got a little upset, but as we can see now, God’s plan is better than my dreams.”
Given Vinicius Junior has more or less locked down the left side of Real Madrid’s attack, Mudryk’s favoured position, it makes it unlikely Mudryk would be in line for significant game time at the Santiago Bernabeu. Already the Brazilian has beaten out competition from Rodrygo Goes and Eden Hazard on the left.
What hopes?