Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has said that Christopher Nkunku is working really hard in his recovery from a knee injury and he could make his debut as soon as possible.
The Frenchman joined the London giants from Leipzig during the last summer transfer window. He was their bright spark during the early part of pre-season before suffering a serious knee injury against Borussia Dortmund.
The 25-year-old has been undergoing his rehabilitation for the past few months. It was initially predicted that he could return in January, but it appears he could make his maiden bow for the club in the coming weeks.
In the pre-match presser before the London derby against Brentford, Pochettino said: “He is doing really really well; is working really hard. He is close and hopefully as soon as possible we can have him involved again. He is a really important player for us.”
Good news
Chelsea suffered a massive setback in pre-season with Nkunku’s injury. The Frenchman was brilliant in attack for the Blues and his unfortunate injury was a blow for the club ahead of the new campaign. Pochettino has now highlighted that he is a ‘really important’ player and he will be hoping to have him on the field as soon as possible.
However, he may not want to rush him back to the starting line-up, considering his injury record in recent years. For now, Pochettino could persist with Cole Palmer as a false no.9. He was brilliant in the role against Arsenal, converting the club’s first half penalty. He should have also scored after being gifted possession by David Raya in the box.
Pochettino’s selection headache could be when Nkunku is back to full fitness for Chelsea. Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk and Conor Gallagher started in attack in the recent draw against Arsenal. One of them may have to make way for Nkunku. It could well be Mudryk, who has had the least minutes among the trio this season.
