Chelsea will reportedly limit Christopher Nkunku’s minutes in the first few weeks of his highly-anticipated return from injury, just like they did recently with Reece James. Nkunku suffered a disappointing injury setback on the eve of the Premier League season starting in a huge blow to Mauricio Pochettino.
The summer signing had impressed in pre-season, scoring three goals in five matches before undergoing surgery on his left knee. The France international has now returned to team training and is on the verge of making his long-awaited debut.
He could be in contention to feature for Chelsea against Newcastle on Saturday, but it doesn’t look like Pochettino will rush him into the starting line-up. According to the Evening Standard, Chelsea have a similar plan in place for Nkunku’s recovery as they did for James.
The England international picked up a hamstring injury in August that ruled him out for several months before making his return last month. But James came off the bench in his first two games back and has been subbed off shortly after the hour mark in the previous three matches.
It’s claimed that Nkunku could be given a similar load management to slowly boost his match fitness. If following the exact same plan, Nkunku’s first start for Chelsea may come against Manchester United on December 6.
The Blues host Brighton next weekend after their trip to Newcastle this Saturday before the match at Old Trafford in less than two weeks. With Nkunku set to be available for selection, Pochettino now faces a dilemma in trying to fit him into his starting line-up.
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The £52million signing from RB Leipzig was brought in to help solve Chelsea’s need for goals, but Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Raheem Sterling have formed a strong partnership up front in recent weeks. Nkunku has shown a versatility to play in a number of positions across the frontline in his career, but has largely flourished as a second striker.
Conor Gallagher has currently filled that role linking midfield and defence with Sterling and Palmer operating out wide. But Nkunku’s availability will come as a huge boost to Pochettino with the Frenchman a proven goalscorer at the highest level.
Pochettino said last month: “He is a player that can provide goals and we have been missing goals. That is why we think he can be important for us – he has proved he can score goals in the Bundesliga. Of course, if you compare with different offensive players, maybe with eight or ten goals from Nkunku our situation is completely different because they are the goals we are missing to be in a different position.”
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