Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that French forward Christopher Nkunku will miss Chelsea’s FA Cup fifth-round encounter against Leeds United due to an injury that will be further evaluated in the coming days.
Nkuku played 67 minutes during Chelsea’s defeat suffered against Liverpool during the FA Cup Final on Sunday at the Wembley Stadium.
He has only been featured 10 times
following his summer move from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig the France international is now set for another spell on the sidelines.
‘We need to evaluate him (Nkunku) every day,’ Pochettino said during his pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow’s game with Leeds. ‘At the moment, he could be maybe three or four weeks out. We hope no more.
‘We found out after [the final that he had suffered an injury]. It’s difficult for him. When he arrived in pre-season, he was flying on the pitch and in training in America.
‘Then he got the knee injury and now it’s nearly eight months later. Even when he was ready to be involved again, he couldn’t be the same as before. That is the risk.
‘We have in our head the potential best Nkunku that everyone knows from the Bundesliga, but he can’t be that player. That is why it is unfair to judge because the situations are completely different.’
