What next for Mykhailo Mudryk? Chelsea's forgotten man faces hugely uncertain future despite dramatic doping ban return

In a reprieve that even Chelsea hadn't anticipated, Mudryk is available to play once again and has joined their pre-season tour of Australia and south-east Asia in Hong Kong - some 614 days since his last appearance for the club.

The winger was provisionally suspended and subsequently handed a four-year ban by the Football Association (FA) for an "adverse finding" of the banned substance meldonium - which is normally used to treat heart conditions but can boost endurance and recovery for athletes - in a routine drug test in November 2024.

Mudryk appealed against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) earlier this year, but his ban has now been resolved with the FA and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after he accepted breaking anti-doping rules and agreed to a suspension equal to the time he had already served, enabling him to make an immediate return.

Recent changes to doping regulations meant that the "low concentration" of meldonium found in the player's urine sample would actually no longer warrant a ban.

Following the sudden news of his eligibility to resume his career, Mudryk shared an emotional statement on social media, expressing his gratitude that the "long battle" had come to an end. "This has been the most difficult period of my career," he wrote. "As I have always maintained from the outset of this case, I have never knowingly or intentionally taken any banned substance."

Alonso echoed that sentiment as he addressed Mudryk's return and future in a press conference following the friendly defeat to Tottenham in Sydney on Saturday, as he prepares to welcome the winger for the Asian leg of the club's pre-season tour.

"We are happy for him, because we are not able to understand what he has been through in this time and how he feels at the moment," the new manager said. "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 team-mates, from the staff."

The Spaniard continued: "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. I remember watching him in Shakhtar: the impact he had, how good he is, how good in one-on-one situations, how he could create a lot of situations on his own. He's a special player."

What happens next remains shrouded in uncertainty, but for now Mudryk will just be overjoyed to be able to rejoin his team-mates.

In the 85 weeks since he was provisionally suspended by the FA, the 25-year-old has been forced to train alone away for Chelsea's Cobham base, using the pitch at non-league club Uxbridge in west London and hiring private coaches and goalkeepers to work with him.

However, that will be a stark contrast to pre-season training with an elite club, and it's highly likely Mudryk's fitness and physical conditioning will have suffered as a result of his lack of group sessions and match action since late 2024.

Nevertheless, it has been reported that Chelsea have already been "inundated" with interest in the Ukrainian since the news of his imminent comeback broke over the weekend from across the Premier League and Europe, including from newly-promoted Coventry City. The Sky Blues' head coach Frank Lampard worked with Mudryk during his ill-fated spell as interim boss at Stamford Bridge during the 2022-23 campaign.

As yet, though, no decision has been taken on Mudryk's future, as Chelsea prepare to assess his performance levels in what remains of pre-season. The Blues begin 2026-27 with a trip to Fulham on August 24.

Alonso is well aware that Mudryk's reintegration and the decision over his future all forms part of a process that is going to take time. "Once there's a change, things will start moving, and for him, it's a massive change [from] training on his own every day," the manager continued.

"I mean, I think that had to be really, really hard because he wanted to play football, he wanted to be part of the team, and he was not allowed to do that for such a long time. Now we can move on and after we will see if he makes progress quicker or slower. But we need to do the work."

The Spanish tactician added: "It's too early to tell how he is in terms of fitness, in terms of the game time you need to be involved again, so it's still too early to tell. Afterwards we will see if it's quicker or slower, but we need to be aware of that. We want him to feel part of the team. We will see how things develop."

Just how much time Mudryk is afforded is the big question, despite Chelsea's public support for him and desire to 'help him resume his career'. While Alonso has alluded to being pleasantly surprised by the winger's comeback, the signs are that he will have an uphill battle to re-establish himself at Stamford Bridge.

The west Londoners have invested heavily in left-sided attackers in the 25-year-old's absence, and the club clearly hadn't been expecting to welcome him back just yet. New club-record £117 million ($157m) arrival Morgan Rogers is expected to play off that flank this season, while the Blues shelled out £52m ($76m) to bring in Jamie Gittens a year ago. Meanwhile, highly-rated 17-year-old Dastan Satpaev has impressed on the left wing in pre-season and the Blues also have Pedro Neto on their books, who can operate on either side.

Mudryk's form and performance levels before his ban also shouldn't be overlooked. Chelsea forked out an eye-watering £89m ($109m) to land the then-coveted youngster from Shakhtar Donetsk, but he had somewhat predictably failed to live up to that price tag and what seemed to be considerable potential in west London, mustering just 19 goal involvements in 73 outings for the Blues. He often looked bereft of confidence, and it's difficult to imagine that his near-two-year ban will have helped him in that regard.

Much will depend on how the rest of the summer progresses, but a loan might make the most sense for Mudryk at this stage as he goes about trying to rebuild his career - perhaps to sister club Strasbourg, back home with Shakhtar or elsewhere in the Premier League.

Equally, it would be unsurprising if he was kept at Stamford Bridge to build up his fitness, barely featuring in the first team before being loaned out or perhaps even sold in January. Technically, his contract could be terminated as a doping ban usually constitutes a breach of contract, which might be mutually beneficial if it smooths an exit, as was the case for Paul Pogba at Juventus, albeit the club would surely want to try to recoup some of that £89m outlay in 2023.

Mudryk will just be happy to be able to train and play again after so long, but his future is now shrouded in uncertainty.