Russia’s top scorer at the World Cup, Denis Cheryshev has denied taking banned drugs after his father was quoted as saying he was injected with “growth hormone”.
The Russian Sport Weekend magazine quoted Dmitri Cheryshev, who said his son was given the substance to help him recover from injuries in the run up to the tournament.
The Telegraph are among a number of outlets who quote his father as saying: "He received an injury and, because of the miscommunication of doctors, they began to inject him with growth hormone." He added: "It was done so that Denis recovered more quickly."
The Russian Football Union denied the player took a banned drug, instead clarifying that he was treated with a platelet-rich plasma injection.
They added Cheryshev's father's quotes were lost in translation. The Villarreal winger is the host nation's top scorer with three goals.
The Russian Football Union say the writer in question "incorrectly interpreted his words" and adding: "This is confirmed by the recording of the interview."
Sport Weekend released their own statement saying Cheryshev’s father had used the words "growth hormone", it was never intended to be understood as meaning actual growth hormone.
