I Won’t Rush Chelsea Forward Nkunku Back From Injury, Says Pochettino

Chelsea manager, Mauricio Pochettino has said he will not rush Christopher Nkunku back into action as he called for patience in the France forward’s recovery from injury.

Nkunku, a summer buy from RB Leipzig in Germany has yet to make his competitive debut for Chelsea after suffering a knee problem during the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.

The 26-year-old, signed for £52 million ($65 million) in the close season, is back in training as he steps up his rehabilitation.

There had been suggestions Nkunku was in line to feature for the Blues at Newcastle on Saturday.

But, despite being fit enough to have taken part in training with the first team, Nkunku has not worked tactically with the squad yet and Pochettino has no intention of throwing him in too soon.

Speaking during his pre-match press conference on Friday, Pochettino said, “Nkunku was doing things with the group last week. But he’s not fully recovered to be part of the squad.

“He’s a fantastic player, top scorer in the Bundesliga last season. He can play different positions, his quality is amazing. It’s 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. 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.”

10th-placed Chelsea will play Newcastle on Saturday afternoon with the club hoping to continue its recent upturn in form.

“The break came at a bad time,” he said. “It came in a moment we were building a way to play, results were on our side. But I believe we can keep momentum even after two weeks with no competition.

“We’re a young team, we started to work four months ago. We need to be more mature, more patient. We cannot get frustrated so soon when things don’t work.”