Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca tells £62m star how he can force his way back into the starting eleven

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has admitted that, at the moment, Mykhailo Mudryk is on the outside looking in, but he could turn things around if he continues to train well. Mudryk has seen his minutes on the field decrease since the arrival of Joao Felix and Pedro Neto. There is also renewed competition from Jadon Sancho, who provided an assist in his first game for the club. Chelsea's depth means that Mudryk, who was signed for £62 million, could see even fewer minutes. The transfer fee could rise to £80 million based on performance, but it’s been a frustrating time for the former Shakhtar Donetsk player.

When asked about Mudryk’s playing time ahead of the game against West Ham, Maresca said: "Training sessions. Training sessions are the only way to improve players and he has to be there always. We try to improve all of them every day, with some doing an extra session at the end. Misha (Mykhailo Mudryk) is one of them. At the moment, he is not playing, but that does not mean he won’t play in the future."

There have been suggestions that Chelsea have an overly large squad, but Maresca was quick to explain that, like every big club, they have two players for each position, which he described as completely normal.

He added: "We used Christoph as a nine in the last game for the final 10 minutes. He is completely different to Nicolas in terms of quality and skills. Nico is a No.9; Christo is not a real No.9. We can use him as a nine, but in a different way.

"I am completely happy with the squad, not just Nico and Christopher. With the number of players we have, they are versatile, and we can use Christo as a nine or in the pocket. He doesn’t like to be used wide; he prefers to be inside – we know that. But sometimes, for balance, they have to play in positions that are not the best for them. Christoph, against [Manchester] City in the first game of the season, was used in a wide area, but the important thing is they adapt and try to be their best."

Chelsea have won their last two away games, while West Ham have lost their last two home games heading into this weekend’s match.