Mykhaylo Mudryk of Chelsea
Mykhailo Mudryk's absence confused his team-mates
Mykhailo Mudryk’s Chelsea team-mates were reportedly baffled by his absence at training after being left in the dark about his positive drugs test.
News broke on Tuesday that Mudryk had been provisionally suspended after returning an adverse finding from a urine test. The 23-year-old is believed to have tested positive for meldonium and could face a four-year ban from football if his B sample also comes back positive.
Mudryk has denied knowingly taking any banned substance and was shocked to be contacted by the Football Association. Mirror Football understands the issue occurred while he was on international duty with Ukraine in November and Chelsea sources insist it did not happen on their watch.
The Premier League club released a statement on Tuesday to confirm the news and clear up some of the confusion in their own camp. Mudryk last played for the Blues in the 2-0 win over Heidenheim in the Europa Conference League on November 28 and has been missing from training in recent weeks.
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His team-mates were left none-the-wiser over the reason behind his absence, with The Telegraph reporting some have been forced to ask around “do you know what’s happened to Misha?” Mudryk, who has three goals and five assists in 15 games this season, was understood to have been absent due to illness initially before the positive test result emerged.
"Chelsea Football Club can confirm the Football Association recently contacted our player Mykhailo Mudryk concerning an adverse finding in a routine urine test,” Chelsea said in a statement on Tuesday.
"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 and Noni Madueke of Chelsea during a training session
Mykhailo Mudryk has been missing from Chelsea training ( Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Mudryk said: "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.
"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."
Mudryk has struggled to make an impact at Chelsea since the club gazumped Arsenal to sign him from Shakhtar Donetsk for a fee which could reach £88.5million in January 2023. The winger has 10 goals and nine assists in 73 appearances altogether. In typical Chelsea fashion, he is under contract until June 2031.
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