Mykhailo Mudryk’s spirits are rock bottom as he awaits a verdict that could end his Chelsea career, with the winger facing a potential four year ban after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium.
The Ukrainian hasn’t pulled on a blue shirt since 2024, with the Football Association charging him over anti doping breaches. The World Anti Doping Agency confirmed in November they were still waiting for disciplinary proceedings to kick into gear leaving the 25 year old stuck in footballing limbo.
Now, Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Sergei Palkin the man who watched Mudryk rise through the academy before pocketing £88.5million from Chelsea for his services, has lifted the lid on the torment the winger is going through.
“For me, what has happened is a pity because I’d never seen a player like Mudryk,” Palkin said.
It is a staggering claim given the conveyor belt of talent that has rolled through Shakhtar’s doors. But Palkin insists Mudryk’s dedication was unlike anything he had witnessed.
“I remember him from our academy. He was a hard worker, he was a tough guy and he trained much, much more than other players. He stayed after training.”
That work ethic has not deserted him, even as his career hangs in the balance. Far from it.
Recent weeks have seen Mudryk stepping up his training regime in public view, sharing clips of individual sessions on Instagram while working away from the Cobham bubble. He has enlisted a goalkeeper and a private coach to keep himself match sharp, even hiring out the 3G pitch at Honeycroft, home to non league Uxbridge, to go through his paces.
Palkin, who continues to meet with Mudryk whenever he is in London, says the dedication remains relentless.
“He is training, he’s training by himself because the FIFA rules say you cannot stay in the camp,” the Shakhtar chief explained. “He dedicates almost the whole day to train and to keep himself in a good level, physically and mentally.”
Despite that commitment, the toll is evident.
“The mood is not so good at this moment,” Palkin admitted. “But he believes everything should be good and he will return to football as fast as possible.”
For Palkin, the entire situation feels deeply unfair given what he knows of Mudryk’s character.
“This guy did everything in his life to stay on the top level,” he said. “It’s not fair what’s happened to him now, and I believe that his lawyers will find solutions and he will return to football as soon as possible.
“From time to time I arrive to London and I meet with him, and I support him because for me, it’s very important that he feels that he has people behind him, who support him.”
Chelsea have remained tight lipped throughout the saga, with the club’s hierarchy powerless to do anything but wait. The FA’s disciplinary process has dragged on for months, leaving Mudryk in a state of purgatory while his team fight to prove his innocence.
If the worst case scenario materialises and a four year ban is handed down, it would effectively spell the end of his Stamford Bridge career before it ever truly got started.
For now, he trains. Almost the whole day, every day. Waiting for a phone call that will decide his future.
