LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 03: Mykhailo Mudryk of Chelsea during the UEFA Conference League 2024/25 League Phase MD1 match between Chelsea FC and KAA Gent at Stamford Bridge on October 03, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Mykhailo Mudryk is provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance (Getty)
Enzo Maresca has vowed to support Mykhailo Mudryk after his failed doping test and says Chelsea’s players were left ‘surprised and sad’ by the news.
Mudryk is currently unable to train or play for Chelsea after a drugs test carried out in October returned with an adverse finding in the winger’s ‘A’ sample.
It’s understood that Mudryk tested positive for the banned substance meldonium, the heart drug for which tennis star Maria Sharapova received a two-year ban, which was later reduced to 15 months.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Mudryk protested his innocence and said he is in ‘complete shock’ at the failed test.
The 23-year-old is now waiting for the ‘B’ sample, which is taken at the same time and tested to verify the accuracy of the initial drugs test.
‘I think now the situation is a bit more clear in terms of we have a statement from the club, the club already said what they wanted to say, so there’s not anything to add unless the club, the coaching staff and all the people inside the training ground with support and trust in Micha,’ Maresca said on Wednesday afternoon.
‘In general support, first of all we trust Micha. And second when these kind of things happen you need to support your player in all the aspects.
Newcastle United v Chelsea - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
Enzo Maresca insists he is fully supporting Mykhailo Mudryk (Visionhaus via Getty)
‘It’s general, Micha is a Chelsea player but for sure is a player involved in the squad so it’s my duty to be in contact with him, me, the club, the players, the teammates are all there.’
Maresca also reiterated that he and the club believe that Mudryk unknowingly took a banned substance.
‘Absolutely, just that we are all upset, sad, we are there to support Micha. I spoke with him days ago,’ Maresca said.
‘At the moment he can’t train but as I said, the club is there to support the player with all the things they need to support him.
Trust means that we believe Micha, that we support him. What Micha said and what we said is that we trust Micha, we support Micha, then we’ll see.
‘This kind of thing happens not only to young players, it can happen with players who have experience. It doesn’t just involve Micha or young players in general.
‘It’s my duty since we start that I try to have a relation with players quite close because I like it that way. So even with Micha it’s exactly the same, I’m there to help Micha with anything he needs because in this moment it’s normal that he’s going to need help from me, the club, his teammates. We are all there trying to support.
‘We all believe that [he is innocent] then we’ll see.’
When asked if this could be the end of Mudryk’s career, Maresca replied: ‘No, I don’t think so.
‘I think he’s going to come back. Now the only thing is we don’t know when, that’s the only doubt we have in this moment but for sure he’s going to come back.’
Asked how Chelsea’s players reacted, Maresca replied: ‘We all had the same feeling in terms of the teammates were all surprised because Micha at the beginning was ill, then he was good, then this happened.
‘They were all surprised and sad because we don’t like these kind of things.’
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