Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso expressed his excitement about Mykhailo Mudryk’s return to the squad, although he emphasized that it is “too early” to gauge Mudryk’s readiness for the upcoming matches.
The 25-year-old Ukraine winger will participate in Chelsea’s pre-season tour following the resolution of his doping case with the Football Association (FA).
Mudryk has been inactive since November 2024 due to a provisional suspension stemming from an “adverse finding” of the banned substance meldonium. The FA has concluded its anti-doping proceedings after Mudryk acknowledged his breach of anti-doping regulations and accepted a suspension equivalent to the one year and eight months he has already served.
Following a 2-1 defeat to ten-man Tottenham in a friendly in Sydney, Alonso revealed that Mudryk will join the team in Hong Kong, although he has not yet had a chance to speak with him. Alonso stated, “It’s too early to determine his fitness and the game time needed for his reintegration, so we still have a wait.”
“We’re all happy for him, especially since it’s difficult to fathom what he has endured during this time and how he feels after everything he has faced,” Alonso added.
During his suspension, Mudryk was unable to train at Chelsea’s facilities or work with club staff. Instead, he privately trained with his own coach and goalkeepers at Uxbridge, a non-league club. Alonso acknowledged, “We expect that it will take time for him to get back into form.”
“He trained alone every day, which must have been incredibly hard since he wanted to play and be a part of a team, but was unable to for such a long time. We’ll see whether the process moves quickly or slowly; we just want him to feel included with the team. Once he’s with us, we’ll see how things progress,” Alonso added.
Alonso highlighted that Mudryk’s return comes as a surprise, especially since Chelsea has built a squad featuring various wing options, including Pedro Neto, Estevao Willian, Jamie Gittens, and Geovany Quenda, as well as Cole Palmer and new £117m signing Morgan Rogers, who can also play on the wings.
“To be honest, we didn’t expect to receive such great news at this moment,” Alonso remarked.
Roberto de Zerbi was reunited with Mudryk when he managed Brighton. [Getty Images]
After the victory at Accor Stadium, Spurs manager Roberto de Zerbi stated he remains in contact with Mudryk, having previously coached him at Shakhtar Donetsk before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“He’s like a son to me. I’m very happy for him. He deserves to play,” De Zerbi commented. “He is a wonderful person and an excellent player. I hope he can showcase what he went through in the past two years next season. Maybe not against Tottenham, but he’s a great guy and a very, very talented player.”
De Zerbi further expressed gratitude to his former players, particularly Mudryk, for their contributions. “I left because of the war, not for football reasons, even though it was perhaps the highest level of football I have ever coached,” he explained.
Alonso concluded by recalling Mudryk’s past performances at Shakhtar, noting, “I remember his impact; he was incredibly fast, exceptional in one-on-one situations, and could create opportunities independently. He is a unique talent, but he’s going to need time to get back to his best.”