Noni Madueke is not having the easiest season.
The pressure was all on Mykhailo Mudryk just a short couple of months ago, with the Ukrainian’s much larger transfer fee bringing more scrutiny to him than Madueke was getting.
But now Mudryk has established himself a little in the first team, got his first Chelsea goal and has shown flashes of his talent. Madueke, on the other hand, is struggling to get on the pitch at all.
A minor injury to start the season didn’t help, and getting in hot water for partying seems to have hurt his reputation with Mauricio Pochettino too.
But most of all he’s just been held back by the fact that both Raheem Sterling and and Mudyrk have had good spells down the left, with Cole Palmer also emerging in the last few weeks, and Conor Gallagher and even Ian Maatsen able to play on the right too when Pochettino wants them.
His strong showing for the England U21 team last night reminds us all of his talent, but he’s now the odd one out in this attacking setup, and it’s going to be exceptionally tough to turn that around while his teammates are playing so well.
We’ve heard from everyone he’s a hard worker and a good kid, and we’ve got faith in his ability and his potential, but this tough season doesn’t look like it will get any easier anytime soon.
