
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca yet to speak to Mykhailo Mudryk after doping charges
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has revealed he has not yet spoken to winger Mykhailo Mudryk since the Ukrainian was charged with violating anti-doping rules.
The 24-year-old is facing a lengthy ban after the Football Association announced on Friday it had charged the player.
Mudryk has not played since being suspended last December after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
He was last seen in public at the Europa Conference League final in Wroclaw last month having attended in a private capacity.
Mudryk is not allowed to train with the squad, who are currently at the Club World Cup in the United States.
Speaking ahead of the Blues' second match of the tournament against Flamengo in Philadelphia on Friday, Maresca said: 'I spoke with 'Misha' in Poland when we played the Conference League final but I didn't speak with him since that time.
'To be honest, I didn't see the news. They communicated (it to) me last night. There is nothing more that I can add at the moment because I don't have more information.'
Chelsea did not officially comment after the charges were announced but have previously said they are supporting the player.
Maresca said: 'The last time I spoke with Misha he was quite good. I didn't see him worried, or at least I didn't see him not good. It was OK.
'I don't know how he is now but for sure in the next days, weeks, we're going to have a talk.'
Chelsea are in the market for a new winger this summer, and have been heavily linked with Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Gittens, but Maresca says that is not because of the Mudryk situation.
The Italian said: 'We had already one entire season, almost, without Misha.
'We've decided to go for a winger not because of Misha. It's something quite clear, it's a position that we need to improve.'
Maresca dismissed speculation over the future of another winger in England international Noni Madueke, with reports Arsenal are monitoring his situation.
Maresca said: 'Noni is our player. In this moment, you can read much speculation about many players, but Noni is our player. We consider Noni our player for next season.'
Maresca is set to make changes to his side for the Flamengo clash at Lincoln Financial Field due to the anticipated heat.
The Blues, who opened their campaign in Group D with a 2-0 win over LAFC, are set to face the Brazilians at 2pm local time, with the temperature forecast to reach 28C.
Maresca said: 'It's not easy because of the temperature. This is the reason why we're going to try to rotate players.
'Unfortunately for us, as a Brazilian team, they are more used to playing in this temperature – but it doesn't matter. We're going to try to do our best to win the game.'
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