Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca expressed his belief that Mykhailo Mudryk did not intentionally take a banned substance. The 23-year-old winger has missed the last five matches after testing positive for drugs, with the club revealing on Tuesday that his absence was due to the failed test, not illness as previously stated.
Mudryk took to Instagram to say that the results of his ‘A’ sample came as a “complete shock,” and he firmly denied any intentional use of a banned substance, which Ukrainian media identified as meldonium.
Maresca remarked, “We trust Misha. When this kind of thing happens you need to support your player in all aspects. Misha is a Chelsea player, it’s my duty to be in contact with him. Me, the club, his teammates, we are all there. Trust means we believe Misha.”
It is understood that the Ukraine international has been provisionally suspended after the failed test.
Since his £88 million move from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023, Mudryk has struggled with consistency, making 53 Premier League appearances but scoring just five goals. This season, Maresca has primarily used him in the Carabao Cup and Conference League, with limited league involvement as a substitute.
Despite the situation, Maresca remains optimistic about Mudryk’s future at Stamford Bridge, saying, “I think he’s going to come back, the only thing is we don’t know when. The only doubt we have in this moment but for sure he’s going to come back.”
He continued, “Any player in the world when this happens, they need support. No matter if he’s 20 or 30, no matter if he’s English or Italian or Ukrainian. When this kind of thing happens, we all need support. It’s not about his age or his country.”
Maresca also emphasized the importance of close relationships with his players, saying, “It is my duty since we started. I try to have a quite close relation with the players, because I like it that way. With Misha it is exactly the same. I’m there to try to help him in anything he needs because in this moment it’s normal that he’s going to need help from the club, from me, from his teammates, and we are all there to try to support.”
