Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku is facing a recent hip injury, ruling him out of Tuesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Middlesbrough.
Despite making four appearances since returning from knee surgery that sidelined him for the first half of his debut season at Stamford Bridge, Nkunku was deemed unfit to start the FA Cup clash with Preston on Saturday. Rumors circulated about a potential recurrence of his previous injury when the 26-year-old was ultimately left out of the squad.
Pochettino sought to allay concerns ahead of the Boro game but acknowledged uncertainty about Nkunku’s return timeline.
Get Instantly Update By: Joining Our Whatapps and Telegram Channel
“It’s not related to his old injury; it’s a different problem,” Pochettino clarified. “A small issue in his hip, not in his knee. We are cautious with him because it is six months from his injury, and he was involved in few games. He won’t be involved tomorrow; we will see for Saturday. We are not sure; we are going to be cautious. Hope it is not a long period. At the moment, he is not training; he is doing recovery. Not a big issue.”
French reports have suggested that Nkunku’s hip injury is not severe. Although initial speculation hinted at his possible inclusion against Boro, Pochettino has confirmed otherwise.
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who left the pitch late in the 2-0 defeat to Everton and has missed the last six games, is also sidelined by injury.
“We saw him; he came from a scanner and needs to see the doctors, see the scan, and then make a decision to progress,” Pochettino stated. “The evolution, we need to keep a little bit more away from training. After today, we will have a clear idea after the scan this morning.”
When asked about the possibility of surgery, Pochettino responded, “No, only the pace of the evolution and how he can improve going from doing treatment to starting on the pitch.”