‘We trust him’ Marecsa believes Mudryk is innocent after failed drugs test | OneFootball

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca voiced his support for Mykhailo Mudryk after the Ukranian international failed a routine drug test.

The 23-year-old has been provisionally suspended after failing an FA drugs test and could face a ban of up to multiple years if found guilty of taking a banned substance.

The Ukrainian has had a difficult time at Chelsea in the two seasons since he joined the club, but it may get even worse after this news.

Reports are that an ‘A’ urine sample taken in October show that Mudryk may have taken the banned substance Meldonium, which has been banned in sports since 2016 and is known for helping athletes with endurance.

Mudryk is now waiting on results from a ‘B’ sample, which will either confirm the findings of the first sample or not.

However, he has the full support of his Chelsea manager and teammates.

“We support and trust Misha,” said Maresca in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Europa Conference League tie with Shamrock.

“We were all surprised and at the same time sad because we don’t like these kind of things. I am there to help Misha with anything he needs.”

Tosin Adarabioyo also offered his support following the news, “Misha is part of our family and we are here to support him.

“It’s something that can happen, but you have to take precautions. All of us are being very careful.”

In a statement put out on his social media, Mudryk said: “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.”

The club also put out their statement: “Both the club and Mykhailo fully support The FA’s testing programme and all our players, including Mykhailo, are regularly tested. Mykhailo has confirmed categorically that he has never knowingly used any banned substances.

“Both Mykhailo and the club will now work with the relevant authorities to establish what has caused the adverse finding.”

This setback comes at an unfortunate time for Mudryk, who was finding his best form in a Chelsea shirt.

“Misha was improving a lot”, said Maresca. “He started to understand which position he had to stay. We were very happy with him.”

When asked whether Mudryk’s career would be over as a result of this positive test, Maresca added, “No, I don’t think so. 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 come back.”