Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso has commented on Mykhailo Mudryk's return, as the Ukrainian played for the London club for the first time since November 2024. He came on as a substitute in a friendly against Juventus, which ended in a 0-1 defeat for the English side, reports infohub.kz.
Mudryk entered the pitch in the 82nd minute. According to Alonso, he had told the 25-year-old winger before the game that he planned to give him around 10-15 minutes.
"Of course, I am very happy for him. It was very emotional for everyone at the club to see him return. Especially when I told him before the match that I planned to give him 10-15 minutes. He was delighted," Alonso was quoted as saying by football.london.
The Spanish coach noted that returning to the field was an important moment for both the player and the entire team.
"After such a long period, being back on the pitch is a great feeling for him. And for all of us, it was also very pleasant," the coach added.
Mudryk last played for Chelsea in November 2024, in a Conference League match against Heidenheim. In December of that year, he was provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance. Later, he received a four-year ban. However, at the end of July this year, the anti-doping case was closed, and the Ukrainian was immediately allowed to return to competition.
Ahead of the Juventus match, Alonso admitted that a final decision on Mudryk's future at Chelsea had not yet been made. According to the coach, the player had been training individually for a long time, so the club intends to gradually reintegrate him into full team training.
In the game against the Turin side, Mudryk took up a position on the left wing. After his introduction, former Kairat player Dastan Satpaev, who had come on in the 65th minute, moved closer to the center. Juventus's only goal came in the 68th minute from Edon Zhegrova.
Chelsea's next match in their preseason tour will be on August 8 in Jakarta against AC Milan.