Mykhailo Mudryk has broken his silence on social media during his doping suspension, sending a heartfelt message to Chelsea ahead of their Premier League encounter against Fulham on Sunday.

The Ukrainian international was provisionally suspended from football in December after testing positive for the banned performance-enhancing substance, meldonium.

Mudryk, who joined Chelsea in a £89 million transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023, has not featured for Enzo Maresca’s side since their 2-0 victory over FC Heidenheim in the UEFA Europa Conference League last November.

The 23-year-old was named among the substitutes for Chelsea’s 3-0 win against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on 1 December but remained an unused substitute.

Since his provisional suspension, Mudryk has maintained a notably low profile. However, the winger has now subtly expressed how much he misses being part of the club’s campaign through a response to Chelsea’s Instagram post, shared ahead of their fixture at Fulham’s Craven Cottage.

On Saturday afternoon, Chelsea posted highlights from last season’s corresponding fixture at Craven Cottage, a match in which goals from Mudryk and Armando Broja secured a 2-0 victory for the Blues.

Mudryk responded to the post with a single teardrop emoji — a simple yet emotional expression of longing.

Under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations, players who test positive for banned substances face potential suspensions of up to four years.

Paul Pogba, who returned a positive test for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in August 2023, was initially handed a four-year ban, which was later reduced to 18 months following a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Pogba, now without a club following his departure from Juventus, was cleared to resume his professional career in March.

In a statement shared with his followers on Instagram following news of his provisional suspension, Mudryk wrote:

"I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to The FA contained a banned substance.

This news came as a complete shock, as I have never knowingly taken any banned substances or violated any rules. I am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened.

I know that I have done nothing wrong and remain hopeful of returning to the pitch soon. At this time, I am unable to share further details due to the confidentiality of the process, but I will do so as soon as I am able."*

Chelsea also issued a formal statement, which read:

"Chelsea Football Club can confirm the Football Association recently contacted our player Mykhailo Mudryk regarding an adverse finding in a routine urine test.

Both the Club and Mykhailo fully support The FA’s anti-doping programme, and all our players, including Mykhailo, are regularly tested.

Mykhailo has categorically confirmed that he has never knowingly taken any banned substances.

Both the player and the Club will now cooperate fully with the relevant authorities to determine the cause of the adverse finding."