Fresh Injury Blow For Chelsea As Nkunku Faces Another Month On Sidelines

Christopher Nkunku will be sidelined for three to four weeks due to yet another injury, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino confirmed.

The French attacker has an unidentified injury that is being evaluated by the club’s medical staff, and Pochettino has stated that he could miss up to one month of action. The 26-year-old is no longer the player he was at RB Leipzig, the Chelsea manager further acknowledged.

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Speaking to reporters, the Argentine coach said: “We learned yesterday Nkunku got injured but we don’t know when he got injured. We need to see and evaluate every day but he’s out for three or four weeks. We hope no more. It’s difficult for him. We watched him when he arrived in pre-season.

“He was flying on the training pitch until he got injured. Now it is nearly eight months and he has been involved again but he is not the same player as before. We have in our head the amazing Nkunku from pre-season but it is not the same player because of the circumstances. That’s why it is sometimes unfair when we judge.”

Nkunku missed the first part of the 2023–24 season due to a knee injury he sustained during the team’s preseason trip. Nkunku made his comeback to play on December 24, scoring his first goal for Chelsea in the team’s 2-1 loss to Wolves. He has played for the Blues in ten games across all competitions thus far, logging 394 minutes on the field and two goals. His most recent appearance was as a substitute in the team’s Carabao Cup final loss to Liverpool.

The Blues’ next game is scheduled for Wednesday in the FA Cup, where they will play Leeds United in the fifth round. Nkunku will undoubtedly miss that match as well as the Premier League trip to Brentford three days later while Pochettino gets a proper diagnosis on the forward’s most recent ailment.