Mykhailo Mudryk could make his long-awaited return to competitive football on Wednesday, having been named in Chelsea's squad for a pre-season friendly against Juventus in Hong Kong, nearly 20 months after he last played a match for the club.
The 25-year-old Ukraine international has been absent since November 2024, when he was provisionally suspended by the Football Association following an adverse finding for the banned substance meldonium in a routine urine test. He was subsequently charged with breaching anti-doping regulations and banned for four years after a hearing in January. Mudryk took his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and last week it was announced that his appeal proceedings with the FA had been resolved, clearing him to return to competition immediately.
New Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso confirmed the winger is in contention for the Juventus match, though a full 90 minutes may be beyond him at this stage. "Yes, he could play. Maybe [to play] 90 minutes it's too early, but he can be selected. He's selected, so he can play," Alonso said. The Spaniard added that Monday's session with the squad was primarily about reconnecting emotionally with team-mates rather than testing fitness: "He trained yesterday, came directly from the airport to the hotel. So, yesterday was more about the feelings, more about the emotions, to be back with the players to assess the fitness level."
Mudryk's reintegration has already produced some memorable moments. He was greeted with loud cheers when his image appeared on the big screen during an open training session at Kai Tak Stadium, and later joined the squad for warm-up drills as Elton John's