Mykhailo Mudryk made his first appearance for Chelsea following a 20-month doping ban in the club's 1-0 preseason friendly defeat to Juventus on Wednesday.
The Ukraine international came on in the 82nd minute for Chelsea at the Kai Tak Stadium in Kowloon, Hong Kong, replacing Nicolas Jackson.
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"I'm really pleased for him," Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso told reporters. "It was emotional for everyone from the club to see him back, especially when I told him that before the game that was my idea, that he could play 10, 15 minutes.
"He was thrilled, for sure, it was after such a long period to be back on the pitch. It's been a great feeling for him and a great, great feeling for everyone as well."
Mudryk, 25, has not played a competitive game since November 2024, having been suspended for four years after failing a drug test that revealed the presence of a low concentration of meldonium, a prohibited substance.
He was last week cleared to play again by the FA. Mudryk arrived in Hong Kong on Monday and joined his teammates in training ahead of the game against Juventus.
Despite featuring on Wednesday, Mudryk's future at Stamford Bridge remains uncertain, with a potential loan deal on the cards. Mudryk signed for Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023 and scored 10 goals in 73 appearances for the London side before his suspension. He remains under contract at Stamford Bridge until 2031.
Edon Zhegrova scored the only goal to give Juventus the win over a Chelsea side that started with new signing Danny Welbeck up front. Chelsea remain without several key players following their involvement in the latter stages of the World Cup.
"Unluckily we didn't get to win, but for sure it's the process, it's minutes for everyone and now we have two more before we go back to London and then we will be the ones that will start the decisions," Alonso added. "For sure we are a big part, but we are missing a big other part as well."
Chelsea next face AC Milan on Saturday in Jakarta as part of their preseason tour.