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‘Complete shock’: Chelsea star denies wrongdoing after positive drugs test

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Chelsea’s Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk insists there was no wrongdoing after returning a positive test for a banned substance.

The 23-year-old has been provisionally suspended by the FA but maintains his innocence.

Mudryk, one of the headline signings of Todd Boehly’s early tenure after taking over from Roman Abramovich, cost £62 million from Shakhtar Donetsk but has failed to live up to that price tag, seeing limited game time in the Premier League in 2024-25 as Chelsea continue to surpass expectations, currently boasting a five-game winning streak.

“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,” Mudryk wrote on Instagram.

“I know that I have not done anything wrong and remain hopeful that I will be back on the pitch soon.”

While not featuring much in the league, he has played more often in cup competitions and the UEFA Conference League, where the Blues sit atop the 36-team ladder in a new format.

Mudryk has not played in the last five matches across all competitions, however, with manager Enzo Maresca citing illness as the reason for the winger’s absence.

Chelsea have been perhaps the biggest surprise packet so far in 2024-25, sitting second behind only Arne Slot’s Liverpool.

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