Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has defended Mykhailo Mudryk after the Ukrainian winger tested positive for a banned substance.
The 23-year-old has been provisionally suspended after an analysis of a urine sample taken as part of a test conducted in the UK in the autumn detected the presence of a prohibited drug.
Mudryk has denied wrongdoing, insisting in an Instagram post on Tuesday: “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 that I will be back on the pitch soon.”
And Maresca has come out in support of his player.
“We all believe Mudryk is innocent,” the manager said. “I don’t think Misha’s Chelsea 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 be back.”
Chelsea issued a statement on Tuesday confirming they had been notified of an “adverse finding” in a sample provided by Mudryk.
“Mykhailo has confirmed categorically that he has never knowingly used any banned substances,” the club’s statement said. “Both Mykhailo and the club will now work with the relevant authorities to establish what has caused the adverse finding.”
Maresca added: “We all support Misha. The situation is a bit more clear. We have a statement from the club, who have already said what we need to say, so there is not anything to add. All the players inside the training ground support and trust Misha.”
Athletes are warned on the UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) website that they face a ban of four years if it is found a banned substance was taken intentionally.
If the violation involved a specified substance or a contaminated product and the athlete can demonstrate they had no significant fault, ineligibility may range from two years to a reprimand, depending on the level of fault.
Mudryk last played for Chelsea in the Conference League match against Heidenheim on 28 November, scoring the Blues’ second goal in a 2-0 win
He was an unused substitute for the Premier League match against Aston Villa on 1 December.
Mudryk joined Chelsea in a reported £88.5m move from Shakhtar Donetsk in January last year, signing an eight-and-a-half-year contract. In April, he signed a further one-year extension to that deal.
