Chelsea’s trip to Newcastle United on Saturday will come too soon for Christopher Nkunku to make his Blues debut, with boss Mauricio Pochettino saying patience will be required when he returns from injury.
Nkunku has yet to make a competitive appearance for Chelsea since arriving from RB Leipzig in July, having finished as the Bundesliga’s joint-top scorer with 16 goals last season, alongside Niclas Fullkrug.
Nkunku suffered a knee injury during pre-season and has been forced to watch Chelsea’s inconsistent start to the campaign from the sidelines, with the Blues sitting 10th in the Premier League table ahead of their trip to St James’ Park.
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Pochettino is relieved to see Chelsea’s injury crisis easing, with England defender Levi Colwill returning after missing their chaotic 4-4 draw with Manchester City before the international break, but Nkunku still has more work to do.
“Levi Colwill is going to be in the squad but Romeo Lavia and Christopher Nkunku are out,” Pochettino said at Friday’s pre-match press conference.
“They are both in good condition, Nkunku is a little bit ahead of Lavia, he was doing things with the group, but he’s still not fully recovered to be part of the squad.”
Nkunku’s arrival was seen as a major coup for Chelsea, with the France international attracting interest from many of the continent’s elite clubs after scoring 70 goals across all competitions in four seasons in Germany.
The latest on Christopher Nkunku and five other Blues ahead of our return to Premier League action. ????
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 24, 2023
But Pochettino has warned he may not hit the ground running after such a long lay-off, also noting the fierce competition for places in Chelsea’s squad.
“He’s a fantastic player, the top scorer in the Bundesliga last season. He can play different positions, his quality is amazing,” Pochettino said of Nkunku.
“It was really bad luck to lose him from the beginning of the season. We’re going to find the best way for him to fit in the team [but] he’s going to find massive competition.
“His team-mates are ahead of him, they’ve had four months of competition. He needs to build his form and be at his best level.
“We need to understand he’s coming back from injury, he will need time. We will be patient with him.
“It’s not a competition that he’s normally used to. He came from Europe, he needs to recover from injury but also to know the league. It’ll take time to perform at his best.”
Time to train! ⏰ pic.twitter.com/bF0EoLMKuR
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 24, 2023
