Ammon News - Chelsea's £89million winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended from football and may face a lengthy ban after a positive drugs test.

The 23-year-old has missed the club’s last five games and has not featured since a Conference League match at Heidenheim on November 28. Manager Enzo Maresca had put the Ukrainian’s absence down to illness.

However, it is understood that Mudryk, who joined Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023, has been unavailable for selection due to a suspected adverse analytical finding.

FA rules state that a player notified of a test result can be provisionally suspended. They then have the chance to respond with an explanation before a decision is made on a potential charge. A guilty finding can lead to a ban of up to four years.

Chelsea are thought to have launched their own investigation. Reports in Ukraine that the substance is meldonium are understood to be correct.

Mudryk took a test in August which was clear and insists he has not changed his behaviour since. There is a belief that any potential contamination may have happened outside the country because meldonium is not available in the UK. Mudryk is waiting on the result of a ‘B’ sample and whether it confirms the findings of his ‘A’ sample.

Daily Mail