RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso is "very happy" to be welcoming Mykhailo Mudryk back into his squad after the resolution of his doping case with the Football Association (FA), but believes it is "too early" to understand what he can do.
After falling to a 2-1 defeat by 10-man Tottenham , which also saw the Blues fall short of winning the Sydney Super Cup, Alonso revealed that Mudryk will be joining his squad at their next pre-season destination.
"He is coming to Hong Kong but I haven't spoken to him yet," he said. "It is too early to tell how he is in terms of fitness because you need to be involved again.
"But we are especially happy for him. We are probably not going to be able to understand what he has been through during this time and how he feels at the moment with the things he's had to cope with."
The 25-year-old winger has not played a match since November 2024, after being provisionally suspended for returning an "adverse finding" for the banned substance meldonium.
"We expect that it will take time," Alonso added. "We want him to feel part of the team. Once he is with us, we will see how things develop."
Alonso also acknowledged that Mudryk's return came as a surprise, with Chelsea having built a squad full of alternative options on the wing.
They have Pedro Neto, Estevao Willian, Jamie Gittens and Geovany Quenda, while both Cole Palmer and new £117m signing Morgan Rogers can play on the flanks.
Estevao was the only Chelsea player to get on the scoresheet at Accor Stadium, scoring a 21st-minute equaliser by heading in Gittens' cross at the far post.
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