- Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended by the Football Association
- The Ukrainian left a comment on Instagram ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Fulham
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Mykhailo Mudryk has broken his silence with a cryptic post ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Fulham, having been provisionally suspended from football on the finding of a positive drugs test by the Football Association.
The 24-year-old – who joined in a £88m deal last in January 2023 – has not featured since a Europa Conference League match on November 28.
It is understood that Mudryk has been unavailable for selection due to a suspected adverse analytical finding. Reports in Ukraine that the substance is meldonium are understood by Mail Sport to be correct.
He has maintained a low profile since denying any wrongdoing in an official statement – but the winger has suggested he has missed being with the team.
Chelsea, who now sit seventh in the Premier League table, host west London rivals Fulham on Sunday in a vital much for their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season.
The Blues posted highlights from the same fixture last season when goals by Mudryk and Armando Broja sealed a 2-0 win at Craven Cottage – and Mudryk commented a single tear sad emoji.
Mudryk is still waiting on the result of a ‘B’ sample and whether or not it confirms the findings of his ‘A’ sample is yet to be seen.
Mykhailo Mudryk has broken his silence ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Fulham on Sunday
Mudryk been provisionally suspended from football on the finding of a positive drugs test
If found to have committed an offence, then punishments for a positive drugs test could lead to a long-term ban as was the case with Paul Pogba when the former Man United star was initially banned from football for four years before an appeal led to it being reduced to 18 months.
In a message to his followers on Instagram after his provisional ban, Mudryk posted: ‘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.’
Meanwhile, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca backed Mudryk at the time, saying: ‘It’s not the first time that something like this has happened.
‘It has already happened in the past. I think they know exactly what they have to do and this is the reason that we trust and support Mykhailo. If you say trust, what does it mean?
‘We trust Mykhailo, and we support Mykhailo and trust means that we believe Mykhailo. We trust Mykhailo and we support him. What Mykhailo said and what we said is that we trust him and support him.’
Mudryk penned an eight-year deal at Chelsea when he joined from Shakhtar Donetsk but has only started 26 Premier League appearances during his time at the club and has struggled to deliver on the potential he arrived with.
