Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk was provisionally suspended from football in December after he tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance, meldonium
Chelsea star Mykhailo Mudryk has broken his social media silence amid his ongoing doping ban. Mudryk, 23, hasn’t played a match since November, having been provisionally suspended from football by the FA.
The Ukrainian tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing substance meldonium. Mudryk denies knowingly using a banned substance and Chelsea said at the time that they’d work to establish what caused the failed test.
The Blues bought the winger from Shakhtar Donetsk for a whopping £87million in January 2023, gazumping London rivals Arsenal in the race to sign him. Mudryk hasn’t lived up to expectations since his lucrative move to Stamford Bridge, scoring just 10 goals in 73 games.
His last appearance came when he scored during Chelsea’s 2-0 win against German side Heidenheim in the Conference League last November. Mudryk was then an unused substitute as Enzo Maresca’s side beat Aston Villa 3-0 on December 1.
Since his ban, Mudryk has kept a low profile on social media. The 23-year-old often used Instagram but has been notably quiet in recent months.
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On Saturday, however, he posted a comment on one of Chelsea’s Instagram posts, as their social media accounts looked ahead of Sunday’s game away to Fulham. The Blues posted highlights of the same fixture last season a game which Mudryk scored in and Chelsea won 2-0.
Mudryk replied to their post with a sad face crying emoji. It’s clear that the the ex-Shakhtar wonderkid is missing playing football, having said that he was in ‘complete shock’ following news of the ban.
Will Mykhailo Mudruk come good at Chelsea? Give us your prediction in the comments section.
He said: “This has come as a complete shock as I have never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules, and am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened. I know that I have not done anything wrong and remain hopeful that I will be back on the pitch soon.”
Chelsea manager Maresca believes that Mudryk is innocent and told reporters in December: “Now the situation is a bit more clear, in terms of the statement, there is not anything to add. The club, coaching staff and everyone in the training ground will support him. General support.
“We trust him – when these kind of things happen, you need to support the player. He is a Chelsea player and is one of the players involved in the squad so it is my duty to be in contact with him. We are all there.
“It is not the first time this has happened. It will happen again for different players, they know exactly what they have to do and this is why we trust and support him.”
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