Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk fails drugs test | OneFootball

Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended from football after confirming that he has failed a drugs test.

The Ukraine international has been used sparingly by the Blues this season, making just one Premier League start throughout the campaign. A regular in the Europa Conference League side, Mudryk has directly contributed to eight goals in 15 appearances across all competitions.

Mudryk has missed Chelsea's last four fixtures through illness and is at risk of sitting out an even longer period of time.

In news first broken by Ukrainian outlet Tribuna, Mudryk is understood to have tested positive for mildronate, a drug banned by the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) since 2016.

"I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to The FA contained a banned substance," Mudryk posted on social media. "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."

The test was reportedly taken at the end of October and will be subject to a test of his 'B' sample.

Mudryk's Chelsea career has never really got going / Ryan Hiscott/GettyImages

Chelsea released a club statement on Tuesday morning confirming the news. "Chelsea Football Club can confirm the Football Association recently contacted our player Mykhailo Mudryk concerning an adverse finding in a routine urine test.

"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.

"The Club will not be commenting any further."

Meldonium is an anti-ischemia medication, normally used clinically to treat “those suffering from heart conditions, such as low blood flow to the heart and angina”. It is also thought to help athletes recover from exercise quicker and be able to perform for longer periods of time.

The news is the latest blow to Mudryk's stuttering career in west London. Signed from Shakhtar Donetsk on an eight-year contract, in a deal potentially worth £85m, he has failed to hit the ground running, often finding himself on the sidelines with a watching brief.

In 53 Premier League appearances, Mudryk has scored just five goals, and took 24 games to get off the mark. He has scored a further five across various cup competitions but is not considered a key player by current head coach Enzo Maresca.