De Zerbi also said he has no doubts Mudryk will come good for Chelaea while speaking ahead of their PL game at the Bridge
By Kehinde Okeowo
Brighton manager, Roberto De Zerbi, has urged Chelsea interim manager, Frank Lampard to bench his former player, Mykhailo Mudryk when both teams clash at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Mudryk since dumping north London rivals, Arsenal for the west London club, has made an underwhelming start to his Chelsea career.
The Ukrainian international is yet to score in 10 appearances since his £89 million move to Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in January.
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However, speaking ahead of their Premier League (PL) match, De Zerbi said he has no doubts that the 22-year-old will come good at Stamford Bridge.
He also said he has a special relationship with him following the time they spent together at Shakhtar, but urged Lampard not to feature him in their PL clash on Saturday.
“Me and my staff have a special relationship [with Mudryk],” De Zerbi said at his pre-match press conference.
“He’s like a son to us. I hope he stays on the bench and doesn’t play, but I love him. We hope the best for him, from the next game.”
Brighton, despite being a modest Premier League club, are in the hunt for a European place this season with 46 points from 28 games already.
De Zerbi’s men, who are currently 7th on the PL log table, have the chance to play in the Champions League, Europa League or Europa Conference League.
