- The manager stressed that his player had been changed by pre-season injury
- Nkunku has made just seven league appearances since joining last summer
- Chelsea were gutless to play for penalties. Liverpool have a cause, Mauricio Pochettino’s side are soulless – Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Christopher Nkunku is set to be out for three to four weeks after picking up yet another injury during Chelsea‘s Carabao Cup final against Liverpool on Sunday.
The forward was a second-half substitute for Mauricio Pochettino at Wembley but was unable to help get the Stamford Bridge side over the line against Jurgen Klopp‘s eventual extra-time winners.
After joining Chelsea from RB Leipzig in a £53million deal last summer, the France international has had scant playing time after first picking up injury during the Blues’ pre-season fixtures.
Nkunku was sidelined for the first-half of the season after undergoing knee surgery and after his return in December made just three appearances before picking up a hip injury that kept him out at the start of 2024.
Pochettino delivered the injury blow ahead of Chelsea’s FA Cup fifth round fixture against Leeds on Wednesday, as the west London side look to pick themselves up and compete for another domestic cup after the weekend’s disappointment.
Christopher Nkunku could be out for three to four weeks after picking up yet another injury
Mauricio Pochettino lamented forward’s dreadful fitness run since joining Blues last summer
‘At the moment, (it’s) three-four weeks out for Chris,’ the Argentine manager said. ‘I hope. I hope no more.
‘It’s difficult for Chris as he was flying in pre-season before he got the knee injury, and now it’s nearly eight months and even when he was ready to be involved again, he was never the same player as before.
‘We have in our head, the best Nkunku that everyone knows from Germany, but that isn’t the same player. Then sometimes that is why it is unfair to judge. The situation is always completely different.
‘In that case, for the team, yes it is not a good thing for us. We cannot provide the team a player that can perform and score goals.
Chelsea will be fretting the fitness of the forward as they continue to go without a consistent goalscorer.
Nkunku was used as a substitute during the Carabao Cup final but was unable to prove the difference for the runners-up
The France international’s manager stressed that Nkunku had been changed by the injury he suffered in pre-season
Senegal’s Nicolas Jackson remains the side’s sole regular striking option after the club failed to dip into the transfer market during the January window.
The window also saw Chelsea say goodbye temporarily to second striker Armando Broja, who moved minutes away to Fulham for the remainder of the season.
