The conundrum facing Shakhtar Donetsk’s hierarchy was that Mykhailo Mudryk had, for a player of his age, barely been given any oxygen at the top level. It was the summer of 2021 and his previous two managers, Paulo Fonseca and Luís Castro, had not been convinced enough to give him a run. In the club’s boardroom Mudryk was seen as a player who could win the Ballon d’Or; on the training pitch he was routinely viewed as fast, immensely skilful but raw and unpredictable. His 20th birthday had long since passed but he had only made seven appearances for Shakhtar and a further 21 on loan….
