Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca said he and the club have full confidence in Mykhaylo Modric after he was found to have breached doping regulations.
The 23-year-old returned a failed doping test – which is regularly carried out by the FA – and was suspended by the club.
An investigation is scheduled to determine the source of Modric's negative result.
The player himself says that he has never taken performance-enhancing drugs on purpose.
Speaking about this, Mareska said: “We trust Mykhaylo and support Mykhaylo and trust means we believe Mykhaylo, we trust Mykhaylo and we support him.”
“What Mykhailo said and what we said is that we trust him and support him.
🚨🔵 Mariska: “We all support Misha Modric.”
“The situation is a bit clearer. We have a statement from the club, which has already said what we have to say.”
“So there is nothing to add. All the players inside the training field support and trust Mischa.” pic.twitter.com/mCj36I0r81
– Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 18, 2024
“First of all, this kind of thing doesn't just happen to young players but to experienced players.
“It is my duty since we started to try to have a close relationship with the players because I like it that way.
“It's the same for Modric and I'm here to help him with anything he needs. At this moment, it's normal that he'll need help from the club, from me and from his teammates, and we're all there trying to support him.”
An innocent man
Modric did not see many minutes in the English Premier League this season, but he participated in cup competitions.
He is likely to start in Chelsea's Europa League match against Shamrock Rovers on Thursday.
When asked if he believed Modric was innocent, he added: “We all think so, then we will see.
“I think he will come back. The only thing is we don't know when, and that's the only doubt we have at the moment. He will definitely come back.
“It's not about Mykhaylo, it's about any player in the world who if this kind of thing happens needs support.
“We support and trust Mischa (Modric)”
Enzo Maresca talks about Mykhailo Modric's suspension after a negative result in a routine urine test. pic.twitter.com/KtMfA8CA2s
– Sky Sports News (SkySportsNews) December 18, 2024
“No matter if they are 20, 30, English, Italian or Ukrainian – when this kind of thing happens, I need support, you need support, they need support – we all need support.
“It's not about Mykhaylo, his age or his country. When this kind of thing happens, we all need support.
He added: “He has improved a lot, especially in the last match. He is starting to understand the position he has to stay in.
“In the beginning, he was moving and running a lot because of his skills, but in the last two or three games he has been improving a lot and we were very happy with him. In terms of where he could be in one, two or three years. I don't know.
“The talent we see on the training pitch is exactly the same as what you sometimes see during a match. With Mykhailo, it's exactly the same feeling. In the training session, it's exactly the same as in the game.
