Former Premier League manager Alex McLeish has tipped Mykhaylo Mudryk to be a huge success amid interest from Newcastle United.
Reports have suggested that Mudryk could be targeted by the Magpies in January as manager Eddie Howe looks to bolster his attacking options.
The Shakhtar Donetsk winger was the subject of a £26m bid from Brentford this summer, which was subsequently rejected by his current employers, and it is clear to see why.
After providing two assists and scoring another in Shakhtar’s opening Champions League group-stage tie, the winger grabbed the equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Celtic and his stock, you would expect, is rising.
Current Premier League leaders Arsenal are thought to be keeping an eye and now, amid interest from Tyneside, McLeish has endorsed the signing.
He told Football Insider when discussing Shakhtar’s meeting with Celtic: “I felt that Celtic should have beaten Shakhtar. It was their own fault with their finishing.
“But the guy that stood out a mile was Mudryk. I’m stood watching the telly and saying ‘He’s got to be on the list for about 10 clubs in the top leagues in the world’.
“It’s no surprise that you are saying that to me now because he looked really lively.
“A pal of mine in Glasgow, a shrewd analyst, said to me when it was 1-0 to Celtic and Celtic were dominating the game, ‘Just wait for Mudryk, he’ll be down the left-hand side tearing the backside out of the Celtic right-back and do something spectacular’.
“He called it. Within two or three minutes the boy made that run. I had to check my telly to see if I was on a different playback than him.
“You started to see the liveliness of this guy. He was the shining light of that team and would captivate any league.”
Dubbed the ‘Ukranian Messi’, Mudryk is quickly building a reputation for himself and if he continues to shine in UEFA’s elite club competition, then Shakhtar could command quite a hefty fee.
He burst onto the scene last season being directly involved in 11 goals (nine assists) in just 865 minutes of action.
Such form led to a first senior international call-up earlier this year and with two goals and three assists in five appearances so far this term, it looks set to be a career-altering campaign for Mudryk and one which could see him wound up at St. James’ Park in the future.
