Mykahilo Mudryk's Return: Patience, Xabi Alonso's Support For 'Special Player' & Chelsea Future | OneFootball

Mykhailo Mudryk is available to play for Chelsea again after almost two years away. Video Credit: Absolute Chelsea

Xabi Alonso has had his say on Mykhailo Mudryk’s resolved doping case and the winger’s future at Chelsea.

The FA announced on Friday that Mudryk is cleared to return to playing for Chelsea with immediate effect following his anti-doping disciplinary proceedings.

The 25-year-old reached an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after previously filing an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport against his previous four-year ban.

Mudryk was provisionally suspended in December 2024 due to the presence of a low concentration of meldonium, a prohibited substance, with his case now resolved after 20 months, well short of the four-year ban originally proposed.

However, Mudryk would not have violated any rules if he were tested today, due to changes to WADA’s Technical Document (TD2027MRL).

This helped the winger reach a resolution with WADA to end his suspension.

Mudryk, who remains under contract with Chelsea until 2031, is now back as an active player for the club and a welcome addition to Alonso’s squad.

“Yes, we are happy for him, especially for him,” Alonso said in Saturday’s press conference.

“Because probably we are not able to understand what he has been through in this time and how he feels at the moment with the things that he had to cope with.

“We want him to feel part of a team, because he has been training on his own for a long time, and that we have the support from everyone, from the club, from the teammates, from the staff, and for sure it will take time.

“So once he is with us, we will see how things develop.”

Alonso further confirmed that while he has yet to speak to Mudryk personally, the winger will travel to Hong Kong to join the rest of the squad for the pre-season tour.

A moment Mudryk has been waiting for, his return has finally been confirmed. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Mudryk's Chelsea future remains unclear despite return from suspension

Naturally, the Chelsea manager cannot promise anything about Mudryk’s future in his squad.

“We need to see; it's too early to tell, to see how he is in terms of fitness, in terms of this game time that you need to be involved again, so it's still early to tell,” he explained.

"I remember watching him in Shakhtar, the impact he had, how quick he is, how good in one-on-one situations, how he could create a lot of situations on his own, and he's a special player, but he will take time for sure."

Chelsea are expected to fly to Hong Kong very soon, with a friendly against Juventus at Kai Tak Stadium scheduled for Wednesday, August 5.

It seems unlikely Mudryk will feature in this match.

As Alonso suggested, it will take time for him to regain his fitness level and sharpness, but he will at long last be able to train alongside his fellow Chelsea players.

Depending on how quickly he can return to form, he may even have a chance to feature in Chelsea’s other remaining three friendlies, against AC Milan, Johor Darul Ta’zim, and Real Sociedad.

The Ukraine international seems to have been pretty busy doing personal training during his 20-month suspension, some of which he shared on social media, so he is hopefully not that far behind fitness-wise.

That said, his chances of making Alonso’s first-team squad for the new season remain slim.

Things have changed a lot since he last played competitively in November 2024. Several wingers have joined and left the club since then.

He will no longer compete with Jadon Sancho, Joao Felix, and Tyrique George for the left winger spot. Instead, it will be in-form Jamie Gittens, Dastan Satpayev, and club-record signing Morgan Rogers.