A big bomb dropped during the night from Monday to Tuesday, Mykhaïlo Mudryk’s positive test for meldonium stirred up the English press. A 23-year-old winger playing for Chelsea, the Ukrainian is now under threat of a 4-year ban for doping. A heavy sanction which could fall on the player who had cost 75 million euros (excluding bonuses) to the Blues in the winter of 2023. Out of silence, the main person concerned pleaded his innocence and will now have to defend himself in court sporty. Supported by his club Chelsea, he is also supported by his coach Enzo Maresca. The latter, who was present this Wednesday at a press conference on the eve of a Europa Conference League match against the Irish Shamrock Rovers, could not escape questions about the Ukrainian winger.
He wanted to publicly support his player in this complicated period he is going through: “now the situation is a little clearer, we are having a discussion with the club. There is nothing to add, except that the club, all the staff support and trust Misha. This is general support. We trust Misha. When this kind of thing happens, you have to support your player in all aspects.» Asked to give his opinion on doping, Enzo Maresca believes that these are only isolated cases: “I think football was clean at that time (when he was a Juventus player in the early 2000s editor’s note) and I think it still is today. This kind of thing has happened in the past and will happen in the future.»
Enzo Maresca awaits the return of Mykhaïlo Mudryk
Although he does not yet know how long the investigation will last, Enzo Maresca confided that he had discussions with Mykhaïlo Mudryk and assured him of his support: “Misha is a Chelsea player, but for sure he is one of the players involved in the team so I am in contact with him. It’s just that we’re all upset and sad and we’re here to support Misha. I spoke with him a few days ago. At the moment he cannot train. We wait. The club is ready to support the player. We trust Misha, we support him. What Misha said, and what we said, is that we trust Misha and we support him.»
Affirming that he believed in the innocence of his foal, Enzo Maresca indicated that he was going to be there for him in order to support him as best as possible in this affair and also expressed the sadness of his players when they heard the news:first of all, this kind of thing doesn’t only happen to young players, but also to experienced players. It’s my duty since we started trying to have fairly close relationships with the players. With Misha it’s exactly the same. I’m here to help Misha in whatever he needs. We all had the same feeling. His teammates were all surprised. And at the same time, sad, because we don’t like this kind of thing.»
Asked about a possible end to the story between Mykhaïlo Mudryk and Chelsea, Enzo Maresca immediately said no since he believes that even if he is sanctioned, the player under contract until June 2030 with the London club will still have a chance to show oneself: “I think he will come back, we don’t know when, that’s the only doubt we have at the moment, but it’s certain that he will come back.» As a reason for hope, he also praised the Ukrainian’s progress at the start of the season where, despite reduced playing time, he was able to shine in sequences (3 goals and 5 assists in 15 matches): “it is certain that he has progressed a lot. He began to understand what position he should stay in. With us, I think he has improved a lot in the last two or three games. The talent we see on the training pitch is exactly the same.» A very appreciable message of support for Mykhaïlo Mudryk who is more likely to find himself linked to sports courts than to football fields in the coming weeks.
