Pretty much everyone around world football has written Mykhaylo Mudryk off for dead after two years of the left winger not even playing, but now Roberto De Zerbi has taken a flier on the Ukrainian international with the intention of resurrecting a player who still, though he is no longer at the age of a prospect, has the sort of traits that could make him world class.
De Zerbi has already been busy telling everyone that Mudryk has Ballon d'Or potential, and while Tottenham fans aren't going to go around buying that line right off the bat, it's hard not to feel optimism when your manager is speaking about a player with Mudryk's raw speed and strength like that.
The Tottenham manager will be looking to Antony over at Real Betis as a blueprint for what Mudryk can do after making the jump from Chelsea to rivals Spurs. Antony, too, was totally written off for dead despite being an amazing athlete and one of the best young prospects in world football at a top feeder club in Ajax, but he just never found his footing under the bright lights of Old Trafford with Manchester United.
Roberto De Zerbi still believes in Mudryk
A key difference is that Antony did get to play with the coach he came up with in Erik ten Hag at Man United, but he actually ended up with a better mangaer at Betis in Manuel Pellegrini. With less pressure and more responsibility, Antony has flourished at Betis, becoming a player with real end product and more deciseveness, turning into a more mature footballer who knows how to use his athleticism in a way that is efficient.
Tottenham Hotspur have more pressure than Real Betis, but they also have more opportunity. And Mykhaylo Mudryk gets to be coached by Roberto De Zerbi, who is the manager who believes in Mudryk the most and turned him into an elite prosepct at Shakhtar Donetsk - the kind of prospect that got Arsenal and Chelsea into a monster bidding war.
At 25 years of age, Mudryk is entering the prime years of his career, at least in theory, and whlie he has never actually proven that he is a top player with a resume at Shakhtar actually below what Antony was doing at Ajax, he is an even more unique athlete in terms of his explosiveness, speed, and strength on the wings. Roberto De Zerbi has taken a loan gamble on Mudryk, and if it pays off, he'll be looking at least as good as Betis do now with Antony.
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