Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was shocked to hear that his banned forward Mykhailo Mudryk was in Poland wearing club apparel ahead of Wednesday’s Conference League final against Real Betis.
Mudryk’s last competitive appearance for Chelsea incidentally came in the Conference League exactly six months ago, as he scored the clincher in a 2–0 victory over Heidenheim during the competition’s league phase.
After three weeks mysteriously spent on the sidelines, Chelsea confirmed that Mudryk had been provisionally suspended on Dec. 17 after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium. The Ukraine international is still awaiting the results of a test on a second ‘B’ sample, but is currently banned from playing or training with Chelsea’s first team.
And so, when Mudryk was spotted in Wrocław, Poland ahead of Wednesday’s European showpiece, Maresca was openly shocked.
“To be honest, I just ... I don’t know, he is here or is coming?” Maresca asked. “He is here? I don’t know. I am happy for Mischa to be here.”
Chelsea and Maresca in particular have always staunchly defended their player, who insists that he “has never knowingly used any banned substances”. When the news broke in December, Mudryk released a statement which read: “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.”
Maresca has offered nothing but unconditional support for Mudryk. “We support Mykhailo and trust means that we believe Mykhailo,” the Italian told reporters a day after the doping ban was revealed.
“The club, the coaching staff and all of the people that are inside the training ground—we support and we trust Mykhailo. I think he is going to come back but we don't know when. But for sure he is going to come back.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mykhailo Mudryk Turns Up Unexpectedly, Chelsea Manager Left in Shock.
