Enzo Maresca responds after Mykhailo Mudryk tests positive for banned substance

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Chelsea's coach Enzo Maresca has stood up for Mykhailo Mudryk following the news that the Ukrainian winger has tested positive for a prohibited substance.

The 23-year-old has been temporarily banned after a urine sample collected during a test in the UK last fall showed traces of an illegal substance.

Mudryk has refuted any allegations against him, expressing on Instagram this Tuesday: “I am truly surprised by this situation, as I have never intentionally taken any prohibited substances or violated any regulations. I'm collaborating closely with my team to understand how this could have occurred. I am confident that I haven’t done anything wrong, and I’m optimistic about returning to the field shortly.”

Maresca has publicly backed his player.

“The coach stated, ‘We all trust that Mudryk has done nothing wrong. I don’t believe that Misha's time at Chelsea has ended. I’m confident he will return; we just don’t know when that will be. But one thing is certain: he will definitely be back.’”

On Tuesday, Chelsea released a statement indicating that they had received information about an "unfavorable result" from a sample given by Mudryk.

The club's statement emphasized that Mykhailo has firmly stated that he has never intentionally taken any prohibited substances. "Mykhailo and the club will collaborate with the appropriate authorities to determine the cause of the positive test result," it added.

Maresca stated, "We are all backing Misha. The situation is becoming clearer. The club has released a statement that covers everything we wanted to express, so there’s nothing more to say. Every player at the training facility stands by Misha and has faith in him."

Athletes are cautioned on the UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) website that they could receive a four-year suspension if they are discovered to have intentionally used a prohibited substance.

If the violation was related to a particular substance or a tainted product, and the athlete can prove that they weren’t significantly at fault, the consequences could vary from a two-year ban to just a warning, depending on how much blame can be assigned to them.

Mudryk's most recent appearance for Chelsea was on November 28 in a Conference League game against Heidenheim, where he netted the team's second goal in a 2-0 victory.

He remained on the bench for the Premier League game against Aston Villa on December 1st.

Mudryk made his transfer to Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk for an estimated fee of £88.5 million in January of last year, committing to an eight-and-a-half-year contract. In April, he extended his contract by an additional year.