Mykhailo Mudryk has been pictured training at non-league side Uxbridge FC.
However, the Ukraine winger remains suspended after being charged with a doping offence by the Football Association.
Mykhailo Mudryk playing for Chelsea.
7
Mudryk signed for Chelsea in a deal worth up to £89m, but has not played for Chelsea since November 2024Credit: Getty
talkSPORT understands Mudryk is not training with Uxbridge and has simply hired their 3G surface along with his privately-funded coaching team.
Uxbridge’s Honeycroft ground is around a 40-minute commute for Mudryk and has been booked directly by his representatives.
Chelsea have not organised the solo training sessions and could not under the terms of Mudryk's FA charge, which sees him banned from training for the club as well as playing.
Mudryk joined Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023 for an initial €70million (£62m) with a further €30m (£27m) in add-ons. He has made 73 appearances for the Blues and scored ten goals, but Shakhtar are yet to trigger all the add-ons and are in danger of missing out on a substantial portion of the fee.
READ MORE FOOTBALL
Why is Mudryk suspended?
Mudryk was provisionally suspended by the Football Association in December 2024 after a urine sample tested positive for the banned substance meldonium while on international duty with Ukraine.
Meldonium has been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) since 2016. It is primarily used to treat heart disease, but in healthy athletes can reportedly improve respiratory function, stamina and overall recovery time.
Mudryk has denied any wrongdoing and hired Morgan Sports Law to defend him – the same firm who represented Paul Pogba during his own doping ban.
"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," said Mudryk in a statement back in December 2024.
Following the provisional suspension, the FA subsequently charged Mudryk in June of last year following analysis of his B Sample.
"We can confirm that Mykhailo Mudryk has been charged with anti-doping rule violations alleging the presence and/or use of a prohibited substance, in terms of regulations 3 and 4 of The FA’s Anti-Doping Regulations." read an FA statement. "As this is an ongoing case, we are not in a position to comment further at this time."
Mykhailo Mudryk training.
7
Mudryk has been spotted training at a local non-league club amid his banCredit: @mmudryk10
B Samples are always taken at the same time as A Samples, but frozen and then if a banned substance is detected from the original doping test once a positive result occurs from the A Sample, the B Sample can also be tested for a wider range of prohibited substances.
"The fact that Mudryk's B Sample took a little bit longer may suggest they are doing more tests. They could do five different tests," said Brabners' sports lawyer Catherine Forshaw in an interview with talkSPORT last year.
"They have found the meldonium in Mudryk's A Sample, so they'll have looked specifically for that in his B Sample, but also potentially other similar chemical compounds."
What punishment could Mudryk face?
If found to be in breach of FA rules, Mudryk could be handed a suspension from training and playing of up to four years, with any time served under the provisional ban counting towards this.
Being charged by the FA is a procedural step and not the same as an automatic punishment or even a confirmed Anti-Doping Rules Violation (ADVR). Mudryk is first given the right to present his defence in a confidential process.
"A four-year ban is the standard for an Anti-Doping Rules Violation," explained Forshaw. "And then mitigation can reduce the sanction. If there is a voluntary admission of fault, this can work in an athlete's favour.
Mykhailo Mudryk reacts after scoring for Chelsea
7
Mudryk has ten goals and 11 assists in 73 appearances for ChelseaCredit: Getty
"There are circumstances where an agreement can be reached with UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), potentially WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) or the FA based on an admission of fault.
"Admission can become almost like a negotiation to try and reduce the sanction. But the reality is that a four-year suspension is the starting position and then you kind of work back from it."
Should Mudryk receive a ban, he can also be appeal this, both within the FA and ultimately at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
World Cup winner Pogba challenged his own four-year doping suspension with CAS after testing positive for testosterone-raising substance dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in August 2023 and was able to reduce it to 18 months.
What is Mudryk's defence?
Although the specifics of Mudryk’s defence remain confidential, the Chelsea winger has said publicly that he did not knowingly ingest a banned substance.
Multiple sources have also told talkSPORT Mudryk took a polygraph to prove this – a claim Shakhtar CEO Sergei Palkin verified last year. However, lie detector tests hold no standing in anti-doping jurisprudence.
"I have spoken to Mudryk many times since this doping issue arose," Palkin told GIVEMESPORT. "He doesn't understand how it could have happened. He has no clue. No idea at all.
"His lawyers organised for him to take a lie detector test, which he passed. It will form part of the evidence showing he didn't intentionally do anything wrong.
The winger, who was also looked at by Arsenal before joining Chelsea, has a contract at Stamford Bridge that runs until 2031
7
The winger, who was also looked at by Arsenal before joining Chelsea, has a contract at Stamford Bridge that runs until 2031Credit: Getty
"Mudryk has been clear, it's not his fault that he tested positive. We now need to find out how this has happened, and who did this. His lawyers are trying to find out."
Mudryk's challenge is that all athletes have strict liability for anything ingested, so even if meldonium is proven to have been consumed unintentionally, an ADVR and ban could still occur.
"A fundamental principle of the World Anti-Doping Code is strict liability,” said Forshaw. "Athletes are responsible for anything found in their system, regardless of how it got there or whether there was any intention to cheat.
"Liability is strict for good reason – it would be difficult to police transgressions otherwise – but it places a considerable burden on athletes. They must be scrupulous about what they ingest.
"Mudryk may argue any ingestion was not intentional, but this usually also requires the athlete to establish how a prohibited substance entered their system.
"It is possible for athletes to manage the risks through careful research. For example, there is an online database showing medicines that should not contain prohibited substances. Not every risk can be eliminated. Cross-contamination or sabotage is always possible.
"Even if Mudryk succeeds in establishing no fault or negligence after testing positive for a prohibited substance, that is mitigation, not a defence, and an ADRV would be recorded against him."
A false positive, a fault in testing protocol, a contaminated sample or outright sabotage are all compelling arguments an athlete could make. At this stage, those close to Mudryk have declined to confirm his exact argument pointing to the need for confidentiality while the case is ongoing.
Mykhailo Mudryk playing for Chelsea.
7
Mudryk has denied any wrongdoingCredit: Getty
Could Chelsea seek compensation?
Chelsea have several options at their disposal, including terminating Mudryk's contract for gross misconduct if he fails to prove his innocence. Yet as it stands, the club are simply waiting for the legal process to run its course and offering their support to Mudryk at the same time.
Under the terms of Mudryk's contract, taking any prohibited substance falls under gross misconduct and would allow Chelsea to terminate his contract with just 14 days' notice.
The fact this hasn't happened is a clear indication that the case is ongoing. Chelsea will presume innocence, even after the FA charge, and see if Mudryk can clear his name.
Mudryk is currently more than three years into an eight-and-a-half-year contract and is still on the club's payroll.
It is possible Chelsea seek to renegotiate terms with Mudryk should the process continue to take time. And in theory, another option is for the parties to discuss a mutual contract termination regardless of the outcome.
This is not a step Chelsea have taken to date. Sources have insisted for some time it would be unwise to negotiate with Mudryk before all the facts are known.
Chelsea also have the legal ability, if Mudryk was sacked for gross misconduct, to sue the player for damages as they did with Adrian Mutu after he tested positive for cocaine in 2004.
Many of the avenues Chelsea could explore in the future are ultimately reactions to a ban and Chelsea have preferred to do very little as a result out of respect to both the legal process and Mudryk. This is happening without their direct involvement although Morgan Sports Law are believed to be keeping them updated.
How long will the case take to resolve?
There is no set timescale for resolving a doping charge. It depends on the weight of evidence that all parties have to work through and on whether a series of appeals take place.
Mykhailo Mudryk playing for Chelsea.
7
It's not yet clear when a decision will be reachedCredit: Getty
The case takes place under strict confidentiality in order to protect Mudryk's defence, but if the charges do result in a doping ban, the FA are able to confirm this.
Mudryk could successfully get his charges dropped or, at the other extreme, be handed a ban of up to four years – and either accept or challenge this. And it is also possible a settlement is reached.
Does Mudryk have a future at Chelsea?
Sources close to Mudryk still feel he can play for Chelsea again, and the fact he remains on the club's books is an indication the club want to wait for the case to resolve itself one way or the other before determining next steps.
Investing €70m in Mudryk, with up to €30m in add-ons, means Chelsea will thoroughly assess the situation and give Mudryk every opportunity to prove his innocence.
However, Mudryk is already 25 and whether he clears his name or not, time may be needed before he can play football again.
In addition, and arguably as importantly, Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens and Geovany Quenda have also all been signed since Mudryk was charged by the FA, with the latter arriving from Sporting Lisbon this summer. Pedro Neto can also operate from the left.
Mudryk had already fallen out of favour under former manager Enzo Maresca. Even if Mudryk clears his name and returns to football, Chelsea will have to judge his future dispassionately, and on football merit, knowing they are currently well-stocked on the left wing,
Mudryk's hope will be to have the charge dropped entirely, which would result in an immediate return to action and potentially even a compensation claim of his own.
Read More on talkSPORT
Mykhailo Mudryk playing for Chelsea.
7
Mudryk would face a lot of competition at left wing if he was to returnCredit: Getty
If Mudryk avoids a four-year ban and gets closer to two years or less, it would make him eligible for selection at some point during the 2026/27 season because the provisional suspension counts towards any punishment. But it remains to be seen whether a ban of any kind would be enough to convince Chelsea to part ways either through a sacking, mutual termination or even a sale.
Mudryk is funding his own personal training regime to be ready to return to action, but footage of him training at Uxbridge with his own private coaching team does not necessarily mean the case is currently close to resolving itself.