Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk made his long-awaited return to competitive football on Wednesday, coming off the bench in the Blues’ 1-0 pre-season defeat to Juventus in Hong Kong. Since joining the London club from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023, Mudryk has registered 10 goals in 73 appearances. Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso admitted the moment carried special significance for both the player and the club after such a lengthy absence. Mudryk had already given supporters a glimpse of his progress after taking part in an open training session a day earlier before completing another session behind closed doors. Despite Mudryk’s encouraging comeback, Chelsea slipped to a second successive pre-season defeat under Alonso.