- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,269,553
- Reaction score
- 59
Mykhailo Mudryk made his first Chelsea appearance in 20 months during Wednesday’s 1-0 friendly defeat to Juventus in Hong Kong.
The 25-year-old was introduced in place of Nicolas Jackson in the 82nd minute, having been cleared last week by the Football Association to resume playing following his suspension for returning an “adverse finding” for banned substance meldonium.
He was latterly charged and banned from playing in June 2025, but the matter has since been resolved.
The game at the Kai Tak Stadium marked the first time since November 2024, during a Conference League win at Heidenheim, that the Ukraine international had featured for the Blues.
He is reportedly the subject of interest from Coventry, who are managed by Chelsea’s all-time top-scorer Frank Lampard, with a possible loan move in the offing.
He flew to Hong Kong on Monday to join up with his team-mates.
During the time that he was unable to be present at the London club’s Cobham training centre, he hired a private coach and booked goalkeepers and outfield players to train against at the home of seventh-tier side Uxbridge.
Asked about Mudryk’s future ahead of Wednesday’s match, manager Xabi Alonso said: “No decision has been made. Everything has happened so quick so the main thing is thinking about the person, to feel that he was back in the group dynamic, part of a team, and we need to assess.
“But for sure, he’s a special player. It’s a special case with him, so we need to be sensitive.”
Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Juve thanks to a second-half goal from winger Edon Zhegrova, in a game which saw new signing Danny Welbeck make his debut.
Continue reading...
The 25-year-old was introduced in place of Nicolas Jackson in the 82nd minute, having been cleared last week by the Football Association to resume playing following his suspension for returning an “adverse finding” for banned substance meldonium.
He was latterly charged and banned from playing in June 2025, but the matter has since been resolved.
The game at the Kai Tak Stadium marked the first time since November 2024, during a Conference League win at Heidenheim, that the Ukraine international had featured for the Blues.
He is reportedly the subject of interest from Coventry, who are managed by Chelsea’s all-time top-scorer Frank Lampard, with a possible loan move in the offing.
He flew to Hong Kong on Monday to join up with his team-mates.
During the time that he was unable to be present at the London club’s Cobham training centre, he hired a private coach and booked goalkeepers and outfield players to train against at the home of seventh-tier side Uxbridge.
Asked about Mudryk’s future ahead of Wednesday’s match, manager Xabi Alonso said: “No decision has been made. Everything has happened so quick so the main thing is thinking about the person, to feel that he was back in the group dynamic, part of a team, and we need to assess.
“But for sure, he’s a special player. It’s a special case with him, so we need to be sensitive.”
Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Juve thanks to a second-half goal from winger Edon Zhegrova, in a game which saw new signing Danny Welbeck make his debut.
Continue reading...
