Chelsea's Mykhaylo Mudryk moves the ball against Real Madrid during a pre-season friendly match at Bank of America Stadium on August 06, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. [Grant Halverson/AFP]
Mykhailo Mudryk will be welcomed with open arms when he rejoins Chelsea this week in Hong Kong, manager Xabi Alonso said, but the Ukrainian will not be rushed back after winning his appeal against a doping ban.
The Ukraine international winger was suspended for four years after failing a 2024 drug test that revealed the presence of a low concentration of meldonium, a prohibited substance.
He was cleared on Friday to resume his career after the Football Association and the World Anti-Doping Agency "resolved his appeal".
"We are happy, especially for him, because we are not able to understand what he has been through in this time and how he feels at the moment," Alonso said in Sydney.
"We want that he feels part of the team, because he has not had this for a long time, and that he has the support from everyone: from the club, from the teammates, from the staff.
"To be honest, we were not expecting to have this great news at this moment, so we are very happy learning that he will be here with us."
Mudryk will join Chelsea for the next leg of their pre-season tour in Hong Kong where they face Juventus on Wednesday, Alonso said, after a 2-1 defeat to London rivals Tottenham in Sydney on Saturday.