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Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has spoken about the injury situation of forward Christopher Nkunku, who has spent nearly a month on the sidelines. The Frenchman has struggled with various fitness problems since his arrival at Stamford Bridge from RB Leipzig last summer.
Nkunku signed for Chelsea for around £52 million and immediately hit the ground running in pre-season, where he was the main man in the club's attack. In the last match of their pre-season tour of the USA against Borussia Dortmund, the 26-year-old suffered a serious knee injury.
Chelsea have not had Nkunku fully fit for much of the season, as the forward has only made 10 appearances for the side. Manager Pochettino has lamented his unavailability multiple times, as the Frenchman was expected to play a starring role this season.
Speaking to the press ahead of the game against Manchester United, Pochettino revealed that he is unsure whether Nkunku will feature this season. The manager said that the forward picked up an injury before the Carabao Cup final but played on regardless, exacerbating the condition:
"I don’t know. Still, we don’t know. At the moment we do not know when it is possible for him to start training with the team. At the moment he is not training with us. It did not happen (a setback). I have no information about that. His recovery is taking longer than we expected. That was after the final (League Cup final). He played in the final with a problem that we did not know about and found after the game."
Pochettino expressed hope of Nkunku returning before the end of the season as he lamented his side's injury woes:
“There are different circumstances that affect things. It is not only him. Too many players have suffered injuries this season. We hope that he can be involved again quickly. As soon as possible. It will be really good if he can join the team again before the end of the season. We hope that will happen.”
The Blues are without Romeo Lavia, who has been ruled out of the season, as well as the likes of Wesley Fofana, Reece James, and Lesley Ugochukwu. Levi Colwill and Ben Chilwell are also among the injured players for the club.
Trio set to return for Chelsea against Manchester United
The trio of Malo Gusto, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Trevoh Chalobah were all in full training as Chelsea prepared to face Manchester United in the Premier League. All three players were doubts for the game, but they now look to be available for selection.
Chukwuemeka was on the scoresheet in the FA Cup against Leicester City before picking up an injury while on international duty with the England U-21s. He subsequently missed last week's game against Burnley due to the problem.
Chalobah also featured against the Foxes before picking up an injury over the international break. He was not in the squad for Burnley but is now set to return to first-team action for the side as they host Manchester United.
French right-back Gusto was substituted late in the game with a hamstring problem but appears to have escaped an injury. The 20-year-old is in line to start for Chelsea once more as they look to return to winning ways.
