MYKHAILO MUDRYK has kept himself in good enough shape to bench press his girlfriend.

And the Chelsea winger has plenty more heavy lifting to do to revive his career after nearly 20 months out of the game.

Mudryk gained a new celebrity partner, influencer and actor Jordyn Jones, and, for a while at least, a new haircut, during his enforced absence.

But the Ukrainian has a massive challenge on his hands to prove wrong the critics who believed he was the Blues’ most expensive mistake even before he copped a ban for failing a drugs test in October 2024.

Perhaps if Mudryk shows the same determination he used to pursue Jones, he will be able to turn his on-field fortunes around. She has 8.7million followers on Instagram and that is where their romance began.

Last September Mudryk commented on one of her videos, asking the online audience: “Guys, should I try?”.

Then he messaged Jones directly and said: “Let’s meet in Paris. I’ve got 2 tickets to Disneyland, don’t want to go alone.” The 26-year-old American had to be won over, even temporarily blocking Mudryk after he bombarded her with messages.

But by March this year, after some flirty exchanges, Jones had given in to his charms.

She posted an image of his original invitation to the theme park with a photo of herself outside the gates, tagging Mudryk and saying: “Fast forward six months. I’m glad I unblocked you.”

Jones also posted pictures of herself wearing a Chelsea scarf and shirt.

In April Mudryk, 25, proved he had not been neglecting his physical strength during his time away from the pitch. Jones posted a video of her boyfriend lying on a weight bench and lifting her up and down.

But it is fair to say Mudryk did not live up to that description in the time between his arrival at Stamford Bridge in January 2023 and his ban.

Chelsea beat off competition from Arsenal to sign the Ukraine international for an initial £62m, rising to £88m, in their extraordinary first winter window under their big-spending new owners.

In December 2024, Mudryk confirmed he had tested positive for a banned substance in an out-of-competition test in October.

It later emerged the drug concerned was meldonium, the same heart medication which led to tennis star Maria Sharapova serving a 15-month ban.

Mudryk was provisionally suspended from December and finally charged by the Football Association in May 2025.

The terms of his suspension stopped him from training at Chelsea’s Surrey headquarters and working with any club staff. But his presence in Wroclaw sparked speculation he would link up with his team-mates.

It did not happen, however, and Mudryk’s long, lonely wait continued. He had received the maximum four-year ban for failing the drugs test and then launched an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Apart from his romance with Jones, he kept a low profile while his legal team fought his corner. In November 2025, a photo emerged of him with dark hair, as opposed to his trademark blond, when he met up with friends from Ukrainian football.

It is understood Mudryk worked hard behind the scenes to maintain his physical condition.

In March this year, he posted a video of him training at Uxbridge FC’s Honeycroft stadium, which he had hired out privately. Then last month he shared footage of him belting a ball into the top corner during a session in Austria, with the caption: “Stay tuned.”

Sure enough, last week Mudryk was given permission to resume his career after reaching an agreement with the FA, CAS and the World Anti-Doping Agency. He always insisted he had never knowingly taken a banned substance.

The low concentration of meldonium detected in his original sample would no longer trigger an adverse anti-doping finding. In a statement on Instagram, Mudryk thanked his family, friends, Chelsea and legal team for their help and support during “the most difficult period of my career”.

He immediately flew out to join the Blues on the Asian leg of their pre-season tour – Sun.