Mykhailo Mudryk has spoken out after it was confirmed by Chelsea that he had failed a drugs test and been provisionally banned from football by the Football Association (FA).
The Blues released a statement on Tuesday revealing that they had been contacted by the FA about an "adverse finding in a routine urine test" provided by the Ukrainian winger.
"Both Mykhailo and the Club will now work with the relevant authorities to establish what has caused the adverse finding," read their statement.
Shortly after, Mudryk, who joined Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023 for an initial fee of £62 million, took to Instagram to share a message with his fans.
"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," he wrote.
The 23-year-old added that he "knows" he has "not done anything wrong" and hopes to be "back on the pitch soon."
"I cannot say any more now due to the confidentiality of the process, but I will as soon as I can," he wrote.
Mudryk has missed Chelsea's last four matches in all competitions, last featuring for Enzo Maresca's side in the 2-0 win over Heidenheim in the Europa Conference League.
Maresca had said that Mudryk's absence was due to illness. As per FIFA guidelines, players found to have intentionally taken a banned substance can be suspended from football for up to four years.
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