Chelsea boss says he’s ‘worried’ about Nkunku injury setback

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Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino expresses concern over the recent setback experienced by Christopher Nkunku.

Having joined the club, the forward has only started one Premier League match.

Nkunku faced a three-month absence due to a knee injury sustained in pre-season, and he has been sidelined for Chelsea’s last two matches due to a hip injury.

“We’re disappointed and a little bit worried because we want him involved again as soon as possible,” said Pochettino.

“We are still assessing him, we don’t know what is going to happen.

“It’s complicated with Christopher. It’s now between eight and 10 days since he could train.

“He was so close to feeling comfortable again, he started the game against Crystal Palace.”

The French international marked his Premier League debut with a goal in the 2-1 loss to Wolves on December 24, and he was granted his full debut three days later against Crystal Palace.

Unfortunately, a hip injury sustained in training prevented Nkunku from participating in the 4-0 FA Cup victory against Preston last weekend and the League Cup semi-final loss to Middlesbrough on Tuesday.

Although Nkunku won’t be available for Saturday’s match against Fulham at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino remains optimistic about the potential return of French center-back Benoit Badiashile and the long-term absentee Ben Chilwell to the matchday squad.

“The good news is having players like [Trevoh] Chalobah, Chilwell, Badiashile and [Carney] Chukwuemeka so close to being involved again and help the team to perform,” said Pochettino.