CHELSEA star Mykhailo Mudryk has reportedly been photographed in Saudi Arabia, days after he was suspended for failing a drugs test.
Mudryk, 23, was snapped with a Chelsea fan YouTuber, who shared the image on social media.
The Chelsea ace is thought to have flown to Riyadh to support fellow Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk in his blockbuster rematch with Tyson Fury.
The YouTuber – known only as Shargi – also reported a brief chat with the £88million winger.
He claimed he told Mudryk: “Chelsea fans from all over the world trust you that you did not take a performance-enhancing substance. We love you very much and we trust in your return
And the fan reports that the Chelsea star replied: “Thank you very much, I hope everything is gonna be fine.”
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The Ukrainian winger tested positive for a banned substance in October and is set for a lengthy ban of up to four years.
Mudryk denied knowingly taking meldonium, which was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency banned list in 2016.
It can apparently allow the body to “use oxygen sparingly and quickly restoreenergyto prepare for new loads of physical stress.”
Meldonium is widely used in Eastern Europe and has been on the banned list of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) since 2016.
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Mudryk released a statement on Tuesday morning insisting he has never “knowingly used any banned substance.”
He said: “I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to The FA contained a banned substance”.
“This has come as a complete shock as I have NEVER knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules, and am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened”.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has come out in support of the £88million signing and believes he will return to the team.
He said: “We all believe Mudryk is innocent.
“I don’t think Misha’s Chelsea career is over. I think he will come back.
“We don’t know when, that is the only doubt we have in this moment.
“But for sure, he will be back.”
What drug did Mudryk take?
By SunSport’s Joshua Jones
MYKHAILO MUDRYK returned a positive sample for a drugs test in October.
The Chelsea winger could face a ban for up to four years – because the drug was a performance-enhancing substance.
It is alleged Mudryk had the drug meldonium in his system.
Meldonium – aka mildronate – is a metabolic modulator similar to insulin and is widely used in Eastern Europe.
It is used in heart disease therapy but is also claimed to enable athletes to withstand greater stress, use oxygen more sparingly and restore energy levels quickly.
Meldonium was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency banned list in January 2016 following its high prevalence at the 2015 European Games in Baku.
Just months later, former tennis world No1 and Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova was banned for two years by the International Tennis Federation – although this was later cut to 15 months on appeal.
Sharapova had been taking the drug for ten years for various health issues and claimed she was unaware it had been added to the banned list.
Also in 2016, Russian boxer Alexander Povetkin was found to have traces of meldonium in his system before he was due to fight fellow heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
