Chelsea
Mauricio Pochettino confirms Christopher Nkunku return but Chelsea dealt triple injury blow
Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that summer signing Christopher Nkunku will be in Chelsea’s squad for Saturday’s clash with Sheffield United but they have lost three more players to injury.
The west Londoners were beaten 2-0 by Everton last time out, with skipper Reece James, number one goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and Marc Cucurella all forced off with injuries.
That trio of players will not be back for the weekend, with James set for a particularly lengthy spell on the sidelines, though Sanchez may only miss a couple of weeks with Dorde Petrovic deputising in the meantime.
In better news for Chelsea, marquee signing Nkunku is finally fit enough to make the squad for the first time after sustaining meniscus damage to his left knee during pre-season.
Asked if Nkunku could be involved against Sheffield United, Pochettino said: ‘Yes, he can be involved.
‘That is very good news, because I think to be involved tomorrow and be in the squad and to start also to feel the competition and feel the Premier League and be with the team-mates, after pre-season, is very good news for us.
‘But we need to be calm and quiet because it’s going to put all the pressure on him.
‘Now he needs to evolve, learn the Premier League, know the competition, of course.
‘But I think it’s also a big motivation for us, for his team-mates and for our fans to see a player that should be important for us, be back in the squad – or be in the squad for the first time!’
Nkunku, who has been plagued by injuries in the past 18 months, has been stepping up his training in recent weeks and will provide some much-needed firepower up top.
Pochettino has previously said he sees the Frenchman as a line-leading false nine, and Nkunku was the Bundesliga’s joint-topscorer last season with 16 goals despite only starting 20 matches, while he had 33 goal involvements in the campaign before that.
On his newly injured trio of players, Pochettino added: ‘We are going to lose him [Sanchez] for maybe a few weeks, we are still waiting to see perfectly the situation with Robert. But also with Reece and with Marc Cucurella.
‘I think from the beginning we are being hit by different circumstances, and this one is an important circumstance. But we need to be strong because the competition does not stop and we need to be ready to compete.’
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