Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino admitted that he was “worried” over the fitness of Christopher Nkunku after the French forward has not been able to train since picking up a hip injury in the 3-2 win away to Luton. The £52million summer signing had already spent the majority of the season sidelined with a knee issue.
Pochettino revealed that it had been 10 days since the former RB Leipzig man was able to train and that he was “worried” and “disappointed” about the current situation plaguing Nkunku.
“We are still worrying about the situation of Nkunku,” Pochettino admitted on Friday. “Now I think we are 10 days he cannot train. We are assessing. A little bit worried as we want him back as soon as possible.
“I remember my first conference after he suffered a small issue. Now I think it’s nearly 10 days he has not trained – in between eight and 10. After six months, we were waiting for him. He was so close to again feel comfortable. I am of course disappointed with that. We want him as soon as possible to be involved again.”
Nkunku’s injury setback comes at a difficult time for Chelsea as they have struggled to find the back of the net of late and Nicolas Jackson is on international duty, representing Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Armando Broja can lead the line in the absences of Nkunku and Jackson, but the Albanian himself is working his way back from a long-term injury and Pochettino has not been prepared to risk a reoccurrence.
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