Christopher Nkunku is set to make his long-awaited Chelsea debut after manager Mauricio Pochettino confirmed he will be in the Premier League squad to face Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The Franco-Congolese forward, who joined from RB Leipzig in the summer, has been out of action since pre-season when he suffered a knee injury.
His absence has been felt with Chelsea showing inconsistent form during the course of the season so far. After working his way to fitness on the training pitch, Pochettino sees Nkunku’s return as big news and asserted the 26-year-old might be involved against the Blades.
“Yes he can be involved. It’s very good news because he can be involved tomorrow and be in the squad and can start also to feel the competition, to feel the Premier League,” Pochettino told the club website.
“It’s very good news for us and it’s time to be calm and quiet because we don’t want to put the pressure on him. he can now evolve but the way i see it its a big motivation for us to see a player that should be important for us to play his first game of the season.”
Back in the fold. ???? pic.twitter.com/YJuxdVGdea
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 15, 2023
Reece James will however not be available for the game as he suffered another hamstring injury and Pochettino is frustrated by the relapse after having progress back to fitness.
“I prefer not to talk too much now. We need to go in depth in the situation. He is a little bit down because he was ready and excited to come back,” the Argentine tactician continued.
“He was back perfectly because he worked up step by step. First playing 20 minutes, then 30, 35, 45, 60 minutes. I think it was perfect to build his confidence and have a full recovery. for him it’s difficult to accept. He feels disappointed, very frustrated.
“We need to be careful in the way we talk about [it] and also assess and try to find a solution for him to be consistent and to forget the injuries in the last few times.
“I am worried about all the players and also when a player doesn’t play for a period, he’s going to be down. When it happens a few times, you start to sink. It’s quite difficult to stay quiet and calm. But we are going to support him. We are here to support him and try to help.”
Pochettino further added on how injuries have affected the buildup of his squad: “It’s like building a house and you suffer some problems and you have to delay and progress in different ways. Yes that’s what happens in football when you are involved in the pressure to build something, you can always find problems. That is the type of problem you never want to suffer.
“Reece [James] is one of the key players, in our minds he was one of our key players and our captain and what can we do? We need to keep believing and working. We need to build the structure and take time. I have no doubt we can succeed.”
Chelsea currently sit in 12th place on the table, 10 points away from the relegation zone and just two points away from the top 10. They are however 14 points off the top four and 18 points off leaders Liverpool.
