Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk before a match
Mykhailo Mudryk has spoken out on his positive drugs test
Mykhailo Mudryk has confirmed he has tested postive for a banned substance, but insisted he has been left in 'complete shock' and that he had never knowningly doped.
Reports from the winger's home country of Ukraine on Tuesday morning claimed that Mudryk had failed a drugs test and was facing a ban of up to four years. But Mudryk has insisted he has never knowingly doped and has instructed his management team to investigate the cause of the positive test.
"I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to The FA contained a banned substance. 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," he wrote on Instagram.
"I know that I have not done anything wrong and remain hopeful that I will be back on the pitch soon. I cannot say any more now due to the confidentiality of the process, but I will as soon as I can."
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Chelsea star Mykhailo Mudryk fails drugs test and could face four-year ban](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/breaking-chelsea-mudryk-doping-test-34326478)
Chelsea have also commented on the situation. Their statement read: "Chelsea Football Club can confirm the Football Association recently contacted our player Mykhailo Mudryk concerning an adverse finding in a routine urine test.
"Both the Club and Mykhailo fully support The FA’s testing programme and all our players, including Mykhailo, are regularly tested. Mykhailo has confirmed categorically that he has never knowingly used any banned substances.
"Both Mykhailo and the Club will now work with the relevant authorities to establish what has caused the adverse finding. "The Club will not be commenting any further."
Mykhailo Mudryk
Mudryk has made just seven Premier League appearances this season
The 23-year-old has not played for the Blues since scoring in the Europa Conference League match against Heidenheim and was last included in a match-day squad right at the start of this month against Aston Villa.
The reports in Ukraine claim that a second sample has since been requested, the result of which has yet to be determined. As stated in his statement, Mudryk categorically denies knowingly taking any banned substances.
He could potentially be banned for up to four years for doping, if his B sample also returns a positive reading, meaning the Chelsea star may be absent from the pitch for a significant period of time.
The Mail claim that Mudryk has been provisionally suspended by The Football Association after returning a positive test, though the FA have refused to comment.
Further reports in Mudryk's native Ukraine claim the positive sample showed traces of meldonium: the substance that former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova was banned for back in 2016.
Mudryk has endured a difficult time since joining the Blues from Shakhtar Donetsk back in January 2023 in a big-money deal which could eventually reach £89million. He has failed to nail down a regular starting spot under a string of managers and scored just 10 goals in all competitions.
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