Arabic version: ألونسو يقول إن عودة مودريك إلى تشيلسي ستحتاج إلى وقت

According to BBC News, Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso says it is too early to assess Mykhailo Mudryk’s fitness and potential game time after the winger was cleared to return following the resolution of his Football Association doping case.

Mudryk, 25, is set to join Chelsea’s pre-season tour in Hong Kong. He has not played a competitive match since November 2024, when he was provisionally suspended after an adverse finding for the banned substance meldonium. The FA ended its anti-doping proceedings after he accepted a breach of anti-doping rules and agreed to a suspension equal to the one year and eight months already served.

Speaking after Chelsea’s 2-1 friendly defeat by 10-man Tottenham in Sydney, Alonso said Mudryk was coming to Hong Kong but that he had not yet spoken with him. The manager said the club was happy for the player, while recognising the difficulties he had faced during his absence from team football.

Mudryk was unable to train at Chelsea’s training ground or work with club staff during the suspension. He instead trained independently, hiring a private coach and goalkeepers and holding sessions at non-league side Uxbridge. Alonso said Chelsea expect the process to take time and want the Ukraine international to feel part of the squad again.

Alonso also said Mudryk’s return had come as a surprise because Chelsea had assembled several options on the wing, including Pedro Neto, Estevao Willian, Jamie Gittens and Geovany Quenda. Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers can also play on the flanks. Former Shakhtar Donetsk manager Roberto de Zerbi said he was very happy for Mudryk and hoped he could show what he had endured over the past two years.