Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca stands by Mykhailo Mudryk ahead ...

21 hour ago
Mudryk

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has endorsed Mykhailo Mudryk’s innocent plea as he risks a four-year ban from all football.

The Blues are second in the Premier League and host Irish side Shamrock Rovers in Thursday’s concluding Conference League fixture but the anti-doping incident has clouded the build-up.

The Ukrainian has been provisionally suspended pending results from the 'B' sample. And in statement, the 23-year-old said: “I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to The FA contained a banned substance.

“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.”

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Wednesday’s pre-match press conference was the first opportunity for Maresca to be asked about the positive test for Meldonium, a medication typically used to treat heart conditions such as angina.

He told reporters: "We are all upset, sad and we are there to support Mykhailo. I spoke with him days ago.

“At the moment he can't train. We are waiting but as I say, the club are there ready to support the player with all the aspects he needs. It's not the first time that something like this has happened.

"It has already happened in the past. I think they know exactly what they have to do and this is the reason that we trust and support Mykhailo.

"First of all, these kind of things not only happen to young players but players with experience. It is my duty since we started that I try to have a relationship with players because I like it that way.

“With Mudryk it is exactly the same and I am here to help him in anything he needs. At this moment it is normal that he is going to need help from the club, from me and from his teammates and we are all there trying to support him."

Maresca reaffirmed his belief that this incident won’t derail the tricky winger’s career. He added: "I think he will come back.

"The only thing is we don't know when, that's the only doubt we have at the moment. For sure he is going to come back."

The manager, headhunted from Championship winners Leicester City in the summer, has used the league phase of Europe’s third competition to rotate his top-heavy squad.

They sit top of in the new 36-team league table, already assured of a last-16 tie in March, and Maresca wasn’t giving much detail away on his research of the Hoops.

“I think in football today, there is no team with no strength,” he generalised, when asked about Rovers.

“All the teams have something good, and some things that you can work on to win the game. I watched four or five (Rovers) games and I think they are a good team.

“They try to defend as a block and they have some good players in general. I also saw their matches against Sparta Prague and Rapid Vienna. Different games that they were trying to play face to face with the other team.”

Rovers are also unbeaten in the league phase, amassing 11 points to guarantee a playoff in February.

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