Chelsea‘s £89m winter-recruit Mykhaylo Mudryk is chock-full of talent, which is the primary reason behind the hefty price tag despite his lack of experience at the top level.
The 22-year-old’s abilities, as he displayed during his spell with Shakhtar Donetsk, include a vast array of flashy skills and plenty of technical prowess.
The forward pairs this with excellent passing vision, especially in tight spaces or to create combinations with his fellow teammates.
But his most lethal attribute remains his sheer speed, as the Ukrainian is absolutely rapid.
His pace is a highlight of his style of play, and it is something Mudryk specifically focuses on developing.
As per reports, the player and his personal trainers have even set a goal of touching 40km/hr, a very ambitious target.
While they’re far off that mark right now, the forward is still easily among the fastest players in the World.
He even set a Premier League record for top speed this season during his Chelsea debut against Liverpool, the Ukrainian clocked in at a blistering 36.63km/hr.
Given all this, it would be easy to assume that the Ukrainian is the fastest player in Chelsea training. But that might just be false, as a surprising challenger recently claimed that he won a speed battle against Mudryk.
Posting to his Instagram story, it was none other than 38-year-old Thiago Silva who claimed to have outpaced the young forward.
The Brazilian shared an image displaying the two running side-by-side, their respective speeds were added nearby.
The figure near Mudryk read ‘#34km’ alongside emojis depicting surprise, while the figure near him read a whopping ‘#37km’.
While it’s unclear whether the figures are meant to relay speed or distance covered, it’s still quite an achievement for 38-year-old Silva.
Mudryk later responded to the story by reposting it and adding a caption which read, ‘I’m always reading your number.’
As you probably know, Silva is far from the fastest and the defender usually relies on his experience to deal with pacey attackers. This makes a pace battle between the pair unlikely.
Nevertheless, this is all probably a bit of banter between two teammates, more specifically, a team leader and a young newcomer.
With Chelsea undergoing a massive squad overhaul, it’s more important than ever for squad leaders like Thiago Silva to help the youngsters settle in.
And by the looks of it, that is exactly what the evergreen Brazilian is doing.
As for Mudryk, he can wipe off any doubts regarding his pace during the upcoming fixture against West Ham.
