Footballer who was stabbed seven times trained with Chelsea star during bid for return

Former Scunthorpe defender Jonathan Gjoshe has revealed he has been training with Mykhailo Mudryk as he gears up for a return.

The right-back was among the 11 passengers seriously injured during the horrific Huntingdon train attack last November.

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Gjoshe was travelling from Doncaster to London on a Cambridgeshire train on November 1, just weeks into his first season at Scunthorpe.

He was the first to be attacked during a shocking mass stabbing, and was ultimately rushed to hospital after being wounded seven times.

‘Very frightening’ – Footballer stabbed remembers mass knife attack

“I was very lucky,” Gjoshe told talkSPORT’s Hawksbee & Jacobs on Monday – over nine months on from the horrendous ordeal.

“I was coming back from a game up north, coming back down to London, and yeah, it was frightening what happened.

“It was just a random attack. It was very frightening!”

Despite his injuries, the footballer bravely attempted to warn other passengers of the assailant – who initially thought it could be an elaborate Halloween prank.

Gjoshe continued: “I was sure I was the first person that got stabbed, so I was just running down telling people.

“But they all thought it was like a joke because I think it was the day after Halloween.

“I understand why they would think it’s a joke, but some obviously ran. When they saw it seriously, you know it was frightening.”

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Training with Mudryk

Gjoshe spent four to five months sidelined with his injuries, with Scunthorpe confirming in May that he had not been retained.

However, the former Corinthian Casuals’ Young Player of the Year has nothing but positive things to say about his old National League side.

“The Scunthorpe fans started a ‘GoFundMe’, [raising £4,500], which warmed my heart; that meant everything to me what they did.

“They showed big support; the messages I had from them were amazing; Amazing – the whole club, everyone from there.”

Gjoshe has since kept himself fit during his individual pre-season summer work, which has seen him train with Mykhailo Mudryk.

@mmudryk10

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Mudryk has only recently been cleared to return to action with the Blues after his doping case was resolved following an appeal.

The Ukrainian was provisionally suspended in December 2024 after testing positive for Meldonium.

His suspension prevented him from training with Chelsea team-mates or using the club’s facilities, and so Mudryk instead rented the pitch at non-league side Uxbridge’s stadium.

Chelsea supporter Gjoshe revealed to talkSPORT: “I’ve been training with Mudryk at Uxbridge football ground.

“Before he went [back] into the club, I was training with him probably for a month or so, so I was doing some training sessions there.

“He’s looking alright. I know he kept his head high; He looked alright to me. He was happy.

“He said he just couldn’t wait to get back – He couldn’t talk much.

“Obviously I didn’t know when he was going back but he did tell me about a couple of days before, ‘Listen, I think the sessions are coming to an end now I’ve got to go fly out’ [to join Chelsea’s pre-season tour].”

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Gjoshe’s connection with the current Chelsea squad stretches beyond Mudryk – having also been coached by Nigel James, the father of England internationals Reece and Lauren.

“When I got into him, I was a very young age. I was probably about 12, 13. I was in the under-18s with him; we got to the FA Youth Cup round, played against Dover, Gillingham, and unfortunately we lost to Wimbledon.

“It was good, man; I was there for a very long time; he’s helped me throughout my career.

“I’ve learned so much from him, and obviously as he’s growing his boy as a right back, Reece James.

“I wasn’t a right back at first, [but] he [Nigel] made me a right back. I was a left-winger at first.

“But he said, ‘Listen, trust me, give it a try as a right back’, and I enjoyed it there – I had the legs to go on and around up and down.”

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Like Mudryk, Gjoshe is hoping to be back playing professional football again in the immediate future.

“There’s some offers,” he continued. “I’ve had a few offers, just seeing which ones are right, but I’ve had a few offers. I’m happy for that.

“The season’s already started for the new team, so I’ve had to take a little hit missing about the first, second week or so, but should have something in the next week or so.”