Mauricio Pochettino rules out Christopher Nkunku’s Chelsea debut vs Newcastle
Mauricio Pochettino gave an update on Christopher Nkunku and said he was still not ready to return to action. The Frenchman is ahead of Romeo Lavia in recovery.
Since picking up a knee injury during pre-season, Nkunku has missed four months after he underwent a knee injury, but the forward has now resumed grass training.
His debut could now be against Brighton & Hove Albion or Manchester United after Pochettino confirmed he wouldn’t feature against Newcastle United on Saturday.
Chelsea wants to take precautions with Nkunku, as they did with Reece James’s recovery from the hamstring. The 25-year-old will be given an extended period to recuperate from the injury, given that he was out for four months.
The Argentine manager has been excited about Nkunku’s return to training and has updated the media, (h/t Evening Standard), when he is likely to make his debut.
“Nkunku is a bit ahead of [Romeo] Lavia. He was doing things with the group in the last week but still has not fully recovered to be part of the squad. Step by step, we will find the best way to fit him into the team.”
“Now he is going to find massive competition. He needs to build form and his best level again and compete with players who have a big advantage over him.”
After suffering a long-term injury, Nkunku won’t be able to play the entire game; instead, he will need to spend a few minutes on the field building up his endurance and fitness. Then he will have to be acquainted with Pochettino’s playing philosophy. Subsequently, he’ll need to adjust to the intensity of the Premier League. Consequently, these are the steps he must take before he can be fully fit to play the entire game.
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We shall have to wait patiently for his progress in this regard. But because of his experience, we can see that he takes less time to demonstrate his form. Now let’s see in which game he makes his team debut.
