Chelsea’s hopes have been dashed as midfielder Christopher Nkunku sustains another injury setback.
The 26-years-Old has participated in only nine games during his inaugural season at Stamford Bridge.
This limited involvement primarily stems from a knee injury sustained last summer, sidelining him for the initial four months of the campaign.
Despite his return, Christopher Nkunku‘s impact remained subdued, evident when he was brought in as a substitute during Chelsea’s recent Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t influence the game, and Liverpool secured victory in extra time, largely credited to Virgil van Dijk.
‘We got yesterday [on Monday] that Nkunku was injured, we don’t know when he got injured,’ Pochettino said.
‘We need to see and evaluate every day but I think, at the moment, maybe three or four weeks out.
‘Hope three or four weeks, no more.’
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The injury will rule Nkunku out of Chelsea’s FA Cup fifth-round tie against Leeds United on Wednesday evening.
The France international is also set to miss Premier League games against Brentford, Newcastle United and Arsenal.
Pochettino also insists it is ‘unfair’ to judge Nkunku given how injuries have disrupted his debut campaign at Chelsea.
‘It’s difficult for him,’ said the Chelsea manager.
‘When he arrived in the pre-season, he was flying until he got the knee injury and now it’s nearly eight months and even when he was “ready” to be involved again, he was never the same player as before.
‘We have in our head, the potential, best Nkunku that everyone knows from Germany, from the Bundesliga,
but it is not the same player when after he needs to be an impact player in the final because of different circumstances.
‘Of course, for the team it’s not a good thing for us because we can’t provide to the team a player who can perform and score goals and can be important in this type of game.’
Nkunku’s versatility and skill on the field will be sorely missed, posing a challenge for Chelsea to maintain their competitive edge without him.
The club faces the daunting task of regrouping and adapting their tactics in his absence to overcome this setback.
