Mykhailo Mudryk state of play after three-word hint and Chelsea team-mates' response

Mykhailo Mudryk has been suspended from playing football since the back end of 2024

Mykhailo Mudryk has not played for Chelsea for over a year after being suspended from football following a failed drugs test. An 'adverse finding in a routine urine test' led to the Football Association (FA) suspending him in December 2024.

The FA then charged Mudryk with 'Anti-Doping Rule Violations' after alleging 'the presence and/or use of a prohibited substance.' The substance in question was revealed to be meldonium, with the 25-year-old facing a ban of up to four years.

Under his provisional suspension, Mudryk has been training individually with a private coach, with the access he is permitted at the club remaining limited. The winger has not played for Chelsea since scoring in the UEFA Conference League group stage win over Heidenheim back in November.

The exact length of any potential ban is yet to be determined so we're still unsure when his return to football might be.

With that said, football.london has taken a look at the latest news surrounding Mudryk.

Chelsea statement

Chelsea's statement at the time his suspension said: "Chelsea Football Club can confirm the Football Association recently contacted our player Mykhailo Mudryk concerning an adverse finding in a routine urine test.

"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.

"Both Mykhailo and the Club will now work with the relevant authorities to establish what has caused the adverse finding."

Mudryk also said on social media: "I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to The FA contained a banned substance. 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.

"I know that I have not done anything wrong and remain hopeful that I will 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."

Changes to picture and bio

Mudryk updated his Instagram profile picture and bio, removing all references to the club in the process. Until now, he had made no major changes to his profile, but that shifted in June 2025 when the winger overhauled it completely.

His former profile photo has been replaced with an image of English actor Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman from the 2000 film American Psycho, based on Bret Easton Ellis’s 1991 novel. In the story, Bateman is a New York investment banker who secretly lives a double life as a serial killer.

Mudryk's bio was also changed to read: "Watch how they hate."

Latest social media activity

On Monday, the club shared a photo of Mudryk celebrating his goal against Panathinaikos in last season's Conference League group stage, tagging him and adding the caption: "Happy birthday, Misha!"

Mudryk responded on Instagram with a blue heart emoji and liked the post, which teammates Marc Guiu and Wesley Fofana also liked.

The Ukrainian also shared a birthday photo of himself captioned '25'.

The post drew likes from Axel Disasi, Ben Chilwell, Christopher Nkunku, Deivid Washington, Diego Moreira, Guiu, Mike Penders, Moises Caicedo, Nicolas Jackson, Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo.

'See you soon' hint

Mudryk later responded to fans for all the birthday wishes, saying: "I just wanted to say thank you for your support. I see all your messages and truly appreciate them, so please don't give up on me as I [have] not give up on myself.

"Can't wait to see you soon."