It is a bit of after 11am when a big car sweeps into the automobile park of Uxbridge FC’s Honeycroft floor and involves a halt close to the pitch entrance.
When the rear door opens Mykhailo Mudryk will get out, accompanied by two members of his workforce. He turns again to the automobile to take out a big bag of footballs, slings them over his shoulder and the three males make their means inside.
Within a couple of minutes he’s on the pitch, his brilliant pink boots gleaming within the north west London sunshine as he helps to place metallic mannequins along with his small teaching workforce and turns into acquainted with the 2 goalkeepers who’ve been invited to assist him with this session’s focus: capturing.
Sources, talking underneath the situation of anonymity to guard relationships, like everybody spoken to for this text, say that all the things right here, together with the rental of Uxbridge FC’s 3G pitch, is organized discreetly by his workforce to make sure full compliance along with his provisional suspension by the Football Association for an alleged anti-doping violation. Mudryk maintains his innocence, as he has finished ever for the reason that FA contacted him in December 2024 relating to an antagonistic discovering in a routine urine check.
He was formally charged with a breach of the FA’s anti-doping rules in June 2025 however, 10 months on, there isn’t any readability on when the disciplinary course of will conclude.
Mudryk has not performed for Chelsea since scoring the second aim in a 2-0 away win over Heidenheim within the Conference League in November 2024. He was 23 then; he turned 25 in January, and his exile from skilled soccer stands at simply over 16 months.
Mudryk scoring towards Heidenheim in November 2024. He has not performed for Chelsea since (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
It is simple, then, to know why he was inclined to share a brief clip from a coaching session at Honeycroft earlier this month, providing followers a reminder of his qualities and mindset.
Until the footage circulated extensively on-line, even a lot of Uxbridge FC’s gamers have been utterly unaware that they’d been sharing their pitch with a Premier League footballer that Chelsea paid an preliminary £62million to amass from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023. Mudryk needed to discover someplace to maintain his abilities sharp, and in some ways Honeycroft is a perfect alternative.
Nestled in the course of a big inexperienced pocket of Yiewsley between a golf course and Stockley Country Park, the three,770-capacity stadium is flanked on two sides by tall timber and properly set again from the closest highway. It additionally boasts a taking part in floor far past what you’ll anticipate from Uxbridge FC’s step 3 standing within the nationwide league system: the identical state-of-the-art 3G pitch that Swiss membership Young Boys play on at Wankdorf Stadium, fitted in late 2024 as a part of a £1million refurbishment of the services.
Uxbridge FC’s Honeycroft stadium has a state-of-the-art synthetic pitch (Liam Twomey/The Athletic)
Mudryk appears at residence on it as he rapidly will get into his rhythm. The first drill simulates the kind of likelihood that could be generated in a Premier League match: two fast give-and-goes across the mannequins, then a first-time shot from the left nook of the penalty space. It favours whipping the ball right-footed into the far nook of the online and he finds it with regularity, in addition to loads of power. On a number of events, the goalkeeper doesn’t even have time to dive.
Then the state of affairs shifts to a extra easy dash by means of on aim, with the alternating keepers instructed to be aggressive dashing off their line. It is right here that Mudryk’s trademark pace and acceleration come into their very own; he appears and strikes as if he’s in Premier League form, even with out the rhythm of aggressive motion.
He varies between ending excessive or low, close to publish or far. Occasionally, he takes the ball across the onrushing goalkeeper. Misses are uncommon, however he reacts sharply to each one, demanding excessive requirements of himself all through. His manner stays targeted and intense throughout the session.
While the coaching set-up is essentially minimalist, a digicam is at all times well-positioned on a tall tripod to seize Mudryk’s actions. Some clips could seem on social media, however in addition they serve a right away goal; at one level within the drill, he pauses and huddles round a cellphone with the coaches, analysing particulars earlier than persevering with.
Then it’s time to practise capturing along with his left foot. There is little margin for error right here, for the reason that stand behind the aim shouldn’t be a lot taller than the aim itself and any photographs which clear it robotically find yourself within the automobile park past, requiring one of many goalkeepers to jog dutifully round to retrieve the ball. But a good variety of Mudryk’s makes an attempt find yourself bulging the roof of the online with energy and precision, and only a few are saved.
With the session ticking in direction of the two-hour mark, Mudryk switches to photographs from exterior the field. One of his right-footed makes an attempt, uncorked with minimal backlift, crashes towards the bar with such power that the noise reverberates across the floor and the ball bounces out in direction of the midway line. Several others are extra refined, curled low and precisely simply contained in the posts.
After a handful of penalties, the session ends. Mudryk thanks the goalkeepers and coaches and helps to hold the mannequins again to storage earlier than strolling off. He stays well mannered however reserved, comprehensible given the circumstances, earlier than making a swift exit. Until he is aware of when he can be allowed to renew his soccer profession, there may be not a lot he can say.
The rental of Uxbridge FC’s 3G pitch is organized discreetly by Mudryk’s workforce (Liam Twomey/The Athletic)
The most punishment Mudryk may face is a four-year ban. He has already missed 16 months, which historic precedent suggests would depend as time served in any suspension. If he’s discovered harmless, he could be free to return to motion instantly.
Sources say Chelsea are supporting their participant however are additionally planning for the long run inside their squad, signing Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens final summer time to compete for left wing minutes. International soccer doesn’t give Ukraine the identical flexibility and with out their largest star, they’d their hopes of World Cup qualification extinguished by Sweden final week.
In any case, Mudryk’s focus is obvious. Whenever the chance involves return to aggressive soccer, he intends to be prepared.
