Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been banned from football by the FA after a positive drugs test.
The Ukrainian star has not featured for Chelsea since the end of November, citing illness as the reason.
However, it is understood that Mudryk is not available for selection due to a suspected adverse analytical finding.
Chelsea is said to have started an investigation. Mail Sport understands that the investigation is likely centered around a contaminated supplement.
Reports in Ukraine that the substance is meldonium are believed to be correct.
But what exactly is Meldonium and what is it used for? Mail Sport explains everything you need to know.
What is Meldonium?
Meldonium is a drug manufactured in Latvia and available without a prescription and in other Eastern European countries.
It is often available without a prescription in these countries.
It was developed in 1970 by Ivarks Kalvins at the USSR Lativa Institute of Organic Synthesis and is now manufactured by grindeks.
Meldonium is most commonly known by the brand name mildronate, although other names have also been used.
What is Meldonium used for?
Meldonium's main use is as an anti-ischemia drug, helping people with heart disease, according to Grindeks.
It can also be used for 'physical and psycho-emotional overload' in otherwise healthy people.
Meldonium's inventor, chemist Ivars Kalvins, has said it was given to Soviet soldiers fighting in Afghanistan to increase their endurance.
However, Grindeks and Kalvins have argued that it should not be banned in sport, with the manufacturer saying it 'cannot improve athletic performance, but it can stop tissue damage' during intense training.
Why was it banned?
The World Anti-Doping Agency said in September 2015 that meldonium would be banned from January 1, 2016, and published information on its website.
A study conducted at the European Games in June 2015 and later published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that 66 of 762 athletes used meldonium, which the authors called “overuse and inappropriate use… in a generally healthy athlete population '.
It was offered to Russian national teams in numerous sports and was believed to help athletes tolerate heavy training loads.
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