Roberto De Zerbi has expressed his delight at Mykhailo Mudryk’s return to football, describing the Chelsea winger as someone very close to him following their time together at Shakhtar Donetsk.
Speaking about the Ukrainian international, De Zerbi said:
He’s my son. He is a cool guy, a top player, and hopefully he can show what he suffered the last two seasons in this coming season [through his performances], just maybe not against Tottenham. He’s a lovely guy.
Mudryk is now set to link up with Chelsea’s pre-season tour in Hong Kong after being cleared to resume his career.
Softfootball confirmed yesterday that the winger successfully appealed his doping suspension, allowing him to return to football immediately after the Court of Arbitration for Sport brought his ban to an early end.
The 25-year-old had not played since November 2024 and was barred from training with Chelsea or accessing the club’s facilities during the suspension.
Now back in contention, Mudryk will rejoin Xabi Alonso’s squad as Chelsea continue preparations for the 2026/27 season, hoping to put one of the most difficult periods of his career firmly behind him.
