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London's head coach Jose Mourinho stated that Andrei Shevchenko must accept the challenge that has been put before him and prove to skeptics that he can play successfully in the English Premier League.
The 30-year-old Ukrainian, who arrived in London from AC Milan for £30 million this summer, has only scored four goals in the Premier League and has received a fair amount of sharp criticism.
"Will A. Shevchenko be a Chelsea player next season? He has a valid contract and if he wants to do everything possible to improve his game, then I answer - without a doubt, yes," said J. Mourinho.
"It all depends on him. I hope the forward is not satisfied with what he has given to the team. If he is not, then that is a good start."
Due to hernia surgery, the experienced footballer will miss the FA Cup games, and J. Mourinho did not deny that when calling him to the team this summer, he expected a different performance.
"This season was not what A. Shevchenko, and everyone, including myself, expected. Speaking in his defense, I can say that he spent many years in completely different cultures," Mourinho added.
In contrast to the Ukrainian, the Portuguese specialist did not hesitate to praise another striker, Didier Drogba, who scored a total of 32 goals this season (20 in the Premier League) and became the first Chelsea representative in over twenty years to raise the Golden Boot trophy.
"Didier truly deserved this award. Being the top scorer in the English league without converting penalty kicks is incredibly difficult.
"Every goal was earned through hard work and from the game, so I am very proud of him," Mourinho concluded.
