Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso says helium is "very happy" to beryllium welcoming Mykhailo Mudryk backmost into his squad, but it is "too early" to recognize what helium tin do.
The Ukraine winger, 25, volition articulation Chelsea's pre-season circuit aft resolving his doping lawsuit with the Football Association (FA).
Mudryk has not played a lucifer since November 2024 aft being provisionally suspended for returning an "adverse finding" for the banned substance meldonium.
The FA has ended its anti-doping proceedings aft Mudryk accepted breaching anti-doping rules and agreed to a suspension adjacent to the 1 twelvemonth and 8 months already served.
After a 2-1 decision by 10-man Tottenham successful a affable successful Sydney, Alonso explained Mudryk is joining Chelsea astatine their adjacent pre-season destination. "Yes, helium is coming to Hong Kong, but I haven't spoken to him yet," helium said.
Alonso added: "It's excessively aboriginal to archer however helium is successful presumption of fitness, successful presumption of the crippled clip you request to beryllium progressive again, truthful it's inactive excessively aboriginal to tell.
"But we are blessed for him, particularly for him, due to the fact that we are astir apt not capable to recognize what helium has been done during this clip and however helium feels astatine the infinitesimal with the things helium has had to header with."
Mudryk has not been capable to bid astatine Chelsea's grooming crushed oregon enactment with nine staff. Instead, helium hired his ain backstage manager and goalkeepers, and conducted grooming sessions astatine non-league broadside Uxbridge.
"We expect that it volition instrumentality time," Alonso added.
"He trained connected his ain each day, and I deliberation it had to beryllium really, truly hard due to the fact that helium wanted to play football, helium wanted to beryllium portion of a team, and helium was not allowed to bash that for specified a agelong time.
"Afterwards we volition spot if it's quicker oregon slower, but we request to beryllium alert of that. We privation him to consciousness portion of the team. Once helium is with us, we volition spot however things develop."
Alonso besides acknowledged Mudryk's instrumentality is simply a surprise, with Chelsea having built a squad afloat of alternate options connected the wing.
They person Pedro Neto, Estevao Willian, Jamie Gittens and Geovany Quenda, portion some Cole Palmer and caller £117m signing Morgan Rogers tin play connected the flanks.
"Yeah, to beryllium honest, we were not expecting to person this large quality astatine this moment," helium said.
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