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Chelsea have given Mykhailo Mudryk time to ‘unplug’ from controversy over his failed drugs test, after the winger was spotted during last weekend’s heavyweight boxing clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
Mudryk was provisionally suspended from football after testing positive for a banned substance earlier this season following an “abnormal result during a routine urine test.”
The 23-year-old insists he has never knowingly consumed a banned substance, is sworn to prove his innocence and has the full support of manager Enzo Maresca and the club, but he is waiting now the test results of a “B” sample. If the unfavorable result is confirmed, he could face a lengthy ban.
The Ukraine international has missed Chelsea’s last eight matches in all competitions, but last weekend he traveled to Saudi Arabia to watch compatriot Usyk’s second points victory over Fury.
“Right now it’s also good that he can disconnect from the situation a little bit,” Blues boss Maresca said. “The last time I spoke to him we tried to support him. Now we just wait.
Mudryk will be absent again when Chelsea host Fulham in a west London derby on Boxing Day and, with Premier League leaders Liverpool not in action until later in the night, they have the chance to reduce the gap at the top to just one point.
Maresca refuses to stray from his view that his young side are not realistic title contenders, but admitted their high position in the table now represents more than just a strong start to the campaign.
“I think for sure reality also says we are second,” he said. “We are not second after four or five games even though the ranking is probably not the ‘real’ one. When it’s almost half way [through the season]17 games, the table probably reflects where the teams are.
“But Liverpool have been doing fantastic since day one. The team is a team that has already experienced this kind of moment, winning a trophy, which is important.
