Enzo Maresca says Chelsea believe Michelo Mudrick After testing positive for drugs, he was innocent and would continue to “support” the player.
Players and clubs alike expressed surprise after Mudrick and Chelsea issued statements on Tuesday confirming the Football Association had been contacted over the Ukrainian winger’s poor urine sample.
Head coach Maresca faced the media for the first time since the news broke on Wednesday and insisted everyone at Chelsea trusted Mudrick, who did not train with the team while awaiting the results of further tests.
“We’re all frustrated and sad,” Maresca said. “We give him general support.
“We believe in Mihailo and when something like this happens you need to support your players in every aspect. He is one of the players in my team so it is my responsibility to stay in touch with him and we are all there. Team-mates The guys, the club, me, we were all there.
“Trust means we believe in Mika and we support him. We want to help him with anything he needs. It’s normal that he needs help from the club at this moment and we will be there to support him.”
Asked if “trust” meant Chelsea believed Mudric was innocent, Maresca nodded and replied: “We all believe [he is innocent]”.
Ukraine reported on Tuesday that banned substances were found in “A” samples provided in late October. These reports also state that the “B” sample has not yet been tested, but will be so in the coming days.
Confirmation that Mudrick used a banned substance could result in a long-term ban from football matches. FIFA guidelines state the maximum ban for anti-doping violations is four years.
“This is not the first time this has happened. It will happen again with different players who know exactly what they have to do,” Maresca added. “I think he will come back, but we certainly don’t know when.”
Mudrick was one of the most popular players in Europe when he joined Chelsea in January 2023 for a fee that could rise to £88 million.
But the 23-year-old has started just 26 Premier League games and just one this season under new boss Maresca, who admits Chelsea are likely to seek further reinforcements in January.
“We still have three or four games before January,” he said. “After these three games we’ll see if we need to do something.”
Chelsea face Shamrock Rovers in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday before Premier League games against Everton, Fulham and Ipswich Town conclude 2024.
