The winger received the Italian manager's full backing amid the turbulent news
Mudryk is believed to have tested positive for banned substance meldonium
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By TAMARA PRENN
Published: 08:11 EST, 18 December 2024 | Updated: 08:25 EST, 18 December 2024
Enzo Maresca has broken his silence on Mykhailo Mudryk's provisional suspension after the Ukrainian winger tested positive for banned substance meldonium.
The £88million Chelsea star has been unavailable for selection due to a suspected adverse analytic finding, and may yet face a lengthy ban after the positive test.
FA rules state that a player notified of a test result can be provisionally suspended. They then have the chance to respond with an explanation before a decision is made on a potential charge. A guilty finding can lead to a ban of up to four years.
Chelsea are thought to have launched their own investigation. Reports in Ukraine that the substance is meldonium are understood to be correct.
Mudryk took a test in August which was clear and insists he has not changed his behaviour since. There is a belief that any potential contamination may have happened outside the country because meldonium is not available in the UK. Mudryk is waiting on the result of a ‘B’ sample and whether it confirms the findings of his ‘A’ sample.
Mudryk is thought to be devastated and is co-operating with his club, who are supportive of his explanation.
Mykhailo Mudryk has received a provisional suspension after returning a positive drugs test
And the Blues head coach echoed Chelsea statement in his press conference ahead of the club's final Uefa Conference League match against Shamrock Rovers on Wednesday.
'Now the situation is a bit more clear, in terms of we have a statement with the club,' Maresca said. 'There is not anything to add apart from the club, the staff all support and trust Misha.
'(We are offering) general support. We trust Misha. When this kind of thing happens, you need to support your player in all of the aspects.
'Misha is a Chelsea player but for sure, he is one of the players that is involved in the squad so I am in contact with him.'
When asked if he had an idea of how long the process could go on for, Maresca confirmed: 'No, not yet.'
'We trust Misha, we support him. What Misha said, and what we said, is that we trust Misha and support Misha,' he continued.
While admitting that this was a first for him in his career, Maresca said that he was keen to give the player his full support.
'First of all, these kind of things happen not only with young players but also players with experience,' Maresca added. 'It's my duty since we started to try and have relationships with players quite close. With Misha, it is exactly the same. I am there to help Misha with anything he needs.'
'We all believe (he is innocent),' he said, before adding: 'I don't think (his career is over). I think he will come back, we don't know when - that is the only doubt we have in this moment but for sure, he will come back.'
Enzo Maresca gave his full backing to the player in his first press conference since news broke
The manager, who has led Chelsea through an unbeaten league phase which has assured them automatic qualification, also shared an update on how the squad are processing the shock news.
'We had all the same feeling,' he said. 'The teammates were all surprised. And in the same time, sad, because we don't like these kind of things.'
Maresca reserved a final word for Mudryk's training performances. The Ukraine international has had had some bright spells in Chelsea blue, and was in promising form in Europe in particular.
'For sure, he was improving a lot,' Maresca continued. 'He started to understand which position he had to stay. With us, I think in the last two or three games he was improving a lot.
'The talent we see on the training pitch is exactly the same.'
Chelsea's statement confirmed on Tuesday that the player had been contacted by Football Association, and that 'the club and Mykhailo fully support the FA's testing programme.'
The statement continued: 'Mykhailo has confirmed categorically that he has never knowingly used any banned substances.
‘Mykhailo and the club will work with the relevant authorities to establish what has caused the adverse finding. The club will not be commenting any further.’
Mudryk himself wrote on Instagram after news broke: ‘I can confirm 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 I have not done anything wrong and remain hopeful I will be back on the pitch soon. I cannot say more now due to the confidentiality of the process, but I will as soon as I can.’