On Wednesday, Tosin Adarabioyo was given the tough task of being the first Chelsea player to face the media following Mykhailo Mudryk’s provisional drugs ban, but the English defender passed the test with flying colours.
At least, he almost did.
After expertly and diplomatically fielding questions about Mudryk’s positive drugs test, which was confirmed by the Blues earlier this week, the 27-year-old was then asked about his experiences of working under Enzo Maresca this season.
"He knows how to manage each player, and it's amazing that we are in so many competitions, because he's able to give us all minutes and make us all feel important with the squad," he replied.
Clearly getting carried away in his praise for the Italian boss, Adarabioyo then had a slight slip of the tongue.
"He's definitely easy to have a chat with," he said. "He can tell what each individual needs, whether you need an arm round you or you need a bollocking, he knows the right moment when to do that."
After a moment of silence, someone said: “Language!" Adarabioyo responded with a chuckle: “Apologies!”
After the laughter had died down, Adarabioyo, who joined Chelsea on a free transfer from rivals Fulham in the summer, explained how Maresca is open to having a laugh of his own with the squad.
"There's times when he can have a laugh and a joke with us, but that's mainly off the pitch when we're away from training," he said.
"He's just a very nice guy," he added. "He's been a player before, so he knows exactly what it's like."
Adarabioyo: Mudryk situation won't be a distraction
Chelsea confirmed on Tuesday that Mudryk had tested positive for banned substance during a "routine urine test." A club statement said: “Both the club and Mykhailo fully support the FA’s testing programme and all our players, including Mykhailo, are regularly tested. Mykhailo has confirmed categorically that he has never knowingly used any banned substances." As a result of the failed test, the 23-year-old has been provisionally banned from football and is now training alone at home.
The Athletic reported soon after the release of Chelsea's statement that the substance Mudryk had tested positive for was meldonium – an anti-ischemia medication that increases blood flow to the heart. It is typically used to treat conditions such as angina, but for athletes, it can assist with endurance. Former tennis star Maria Sharapova also tested positive for meldonium back in 2016. She was banned for two years. Mudryk is now awaiting the results of further tests, which if returned positive, could see him exiled from football for up to four years. Asked about the rest of the Chelsea squad's response to Mudryk's situation, Adarabioyo said: “It's new news to all of us. We all found out at the same time as you guys, but we still support Misha, and hopefully things can get resolved.” The former Manchester City youngster went on to explain that while the circumstances surrounding the Ukraine winger are "unfortunate," the team won't be letting it impact their performances. "We are all professionals, we all know that once we get on that pitch, we've got business to do and that's our main focus," he said.
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