Chelsea’s head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, has expressed his concern regarding star forward Christopher Nkunku’s lingering hip injury. Nkunku, who had already missed the initial four months of the season due to a knee injury sustained in the summer, returned for just four games before encountering a hip issue during training, sidelining him for the last two matches.
Initial reports indicated that Nkunku’s recent injury was minor and would entail minimal time away from action. However, as he has yet to return to training, Pochettino admitted uncertainty about the status of Nkunku’s fitness.
“I do worry about the situation of Nkunku,” Pochettino confessed. “I think it’s now [been] ten days he cannot train. We are assessing him. We don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m a little bit worried about the situation of Nkunku.”
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Recalling the press conference after Nkunku’s injury, Pochettino highlighted the unexpected complications, stating, “We were waiting for him for six months, and he was so close again to feeling comfortable. He started the game against Palace and, of course, [we are] disappointed with that. We want him as quick as possible to be involved again.”
Looking ahead to Chelsea’s upcoming Premier League clash against Fulham, Pochettino acknowledged the disappointment following a 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg. Despite the setback, he emphasized the team’s resilience and the need to learn from criticism and pressure to continue growing.
“Yes, disappointed, but at the same time, too many things happen around us after the game. Of course, we are Chelsea, and we cannot afford to lose these types of games,” Pochettino reflected. “Sometimes we can learn from being criticized and being tough. We need to feel the pressure because we need to grow. The feeling of pressure is about realizing to do good things.”