Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been charged by the Football Association with violating anti-doping rules.

The 24-year-old has not played since being handed a provisional suspension in December after he returned a positive test, reportedly for the banned substance meldonium.

An FA statement said: “We can confirm that Mykhailo Mudryk has been charged with anti-doping rule violations alleging the presence and/or use of a prohibited substance, in terms of regulations three and four of the FA’s anti-doping regulations.

“As this is an ongoing case, we are not in a position to comment further at this time.”

Mudryk could face a ban of up to four years under the FA’s anti-doping regulations.

Under Regulation 77, a four-year ban would result if the violation related to a non-specified substance, unless the player or his camp could establish that the violation was not intentional.

Where the violation relates to a specified substance and the FA can establish the violation was intentional, a four-year ban would also apply.

Specified substances are those considered more likely to have been consumed by an athlete for a purpose other than the enhancement of sports performance.

A shorter ban could apply depending on other circumstances, such as whether it could be proved there was no intention to violate the regulations and whether the violation occurred in or out of competition.

Chelsea have been approached for comment.

Earlier this month Mudryk’s number 10 shirt was given to Cole Palmer for next season, leaving the Ukraine international without a squad number at Stamford Bridge.

In a statement issued at the time of his suspension, Mudryk said the positive sample had come as “a complete shock” and he had “not done anything wrong,” with Chelsea adding the player had “never knowingly used any banned substances”.

The result was returned shortly after he had been away on international duty with Ukraine in November, during which time the banned substance is reported to have been administered.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca initially said the winger was unavailable through illness to explain a four-game period that he was absent from the team prior to the suspension being made public.

Mudryk last played for the club in a 2-0 win away to Heidenheim in the Conference League on November 28. He was then an unused substitute for the 3-0 Premier League win against Aston Villa three days later.

His last appearance in the league came on November 10 as a second-half substitute in a 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal.

Mudryk’s time at Stamford Bridge has been dogged by inconsistency on the pitch.

Brief flourishes of talent have been interrupted by periods of limited impact while his finishing and delivery from wide have frustrated supporters since his £88million move from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023.

He has scored just 10 goals in 73 appearances in all competitions and has rarely held down a regular place in the team.

Under Maresca his chances have been even more limited with most of his games coming in the cup competitions and in Europe, with just a single Premier League start in August’s 6-2 win over Wolves.